Celtic show they are worthy of their Champions League place
● Rodgers hails Dembele and claims City will be happy with a point
Brendan Rodgers believes Celtic laid down a marker of their true Champions League potential with their performance in a thrilling 3-3 draw with Manchester City.
The Scottish champions bounced back from their 7-0 drubbing in Barcelona two weeks earlier to lift themselves off the bottom of Group C by taking a potentially priceless point against the English Premier League leaders.
Celtic led three times on a dramatic evening, with Moussa Dembele further enhancing his burgeoning reputation with a double. City equalised each time but were denied an 11th consecutive victory under Pep Guardiola’s management.
“For me it was another big step forward in terms of our improvement as a team,” said Rodgers. “The players were outstanding. You can see a team which has been really aggressive in the way they have been playing and working. Hopefully a night like this gives them a vindication.
“We’ve seen it domestically and, although they wouldn’t have been happy with Barcelona, this was a real good marker and measure of how the players have been improving in a very short period of time.
“Everyone thought this was going to be a hugely difficult game for us. But this club is one of the biggest in the world. In order for us to get better and keep improving, we need to be at this level. There should be a huge pat on the back for Glasgow Celtic tonight, for the performance and the atmosphere. I’m very pleased we got something from the game. Naturally, I feel we should have won the game, but it’s a good step forward for us.
“We were disappointed with the goals we conceded. We can analyse all three and can do better. They had a wee bit of luck on the first one, but the other two we can do better on.
“Apart from that, I thought the performance of the team was absolutely outstanding. At this level, to perform like that, the players deserve a great amount of credit.
“Collectively, we were very good in how we pressed the game. If you are not organised tactically against City, as we’ve seen in many Premier League games, they can really hurt you. I’m sure Pep will recognise it was a difficult night for them. They will be happy with the point.”
Rodgers singled out Dembele for praise, the 20-yearold summer signing from Fulham having taken his goal tally for the season to 12.
“We’re very fortunate to have Moussa,” added Rodgers. “He was coveted by a number of teams before coming to us. He was terrific tonight but he’s been like that since he’s come in to the club.
“I thought he really bullied the back four of Manchester City. But he’s more than that. He showed he has a wonderful touch and agility for third goal. Overall he showed his power and pace. He’s a huge talent.”
It will not be added to the ledger of famous European victories Celtic have enjoyed on their own patch but Brendan Rodgers’ side produced a result and performance which carried almost as much resonance. On a remarkable night which saw them harness a stunning atmosphere inside Celtic Park, the Scottish champions atoned significantly for their 7-0 defeat in Barcelona as they claimed their first point in Group C.
They did so by placing the first blemish of any sort on Pep Guardiola’s record as Manchester City boss, ending the English Premier League leaders’ 100 per cent winning run under their lauded coach.
Celtic led three times, through Moussa Dembele’s double and a Raheem Sterling own goal, only to be pegged back each time. But it was an evening which saw them reclaim pride and credibility at this level and prove they remain capable of more than just making up the numbers in Europe’s elite tournament.
Celtic could not have delivered more dramatically or impressively on Rodgers’ prematch pledge they would not be as passive as they were in the Nou Camp 15 days earlier.
The intensity and ambition of their play was in the sharpest possible contrast to the almost meek and accepting manner in which they suffered that club-record European defeat against the Spanish champions.
Any notion Manchester City held of being able to settle into the slick passing game which has characterised Guardiola’s outstanding start to his tenure was immediately dispelled as Celtic came flying out of the traps.
Their front-foot approach brought its first reward with Dembele’s third-minute opener which sent an already pumped-up home support into a frenzy. The goal came from a brilliantly executed training ground set piece, the free-kick conceded by Nicolas Otamendi’s handball.
Scott Sinclair took it, picking out James Forrest’s clearly-rehearsed run on the right of the City penalty area. The winger volleyed a first-time cross into the six-yard box where Erik Sviatchenko headed towards goal. Dembele, certainly flirting with an offside position but getting the benefit of the doubt from the linesman, applied the finishing touch from close range with his chest.
City were seriously rattled and struggled to find any composure as Celtic maintained a ferocious tempo. The home side threatened again when Dembele’s close-range shot was turned behind by Claudio Bravo, then Tom Rogic had a shot blocked after he was set up by some exceptional work from Sinclair.
With Guardiola an animated presence on the edge of his technical area, City gradually forced themselves higher up the pitch and the first threat to Craig Gordon’s goal saw David Silva’s shot deflected wide for a corner in the 11th minute.
It was a set piece Celtic were unable to clear effectively and from the subsequent followup pressure, City grabbed their first equaliser. Aleksandar Kolarov’s shot was not cleanly struck but the ball broke kindly for the visitors, Fernandinho stepping on to it and guiding a precise low shot beyond Gordon’s left hand.
Celtic’s response was an unrelenting commitment to aggressive, high pressing tactics which quickly had City on the back foot once more. The English side’s reaction to being hassled so mercilessly out of their cultured stride was manifested in a rash moment from Sterling who was fortunate referee Nicola Rizzoli did not spot his juvenile off-the-ball kick at the calf of Celtic captain Scott Brown.
Sterling had further cause for frustration when Celtic went 2-1 ahead in the 20th minute. Rogic’s perfectly weighted pass found Kieran Tierney who had made a surging run down the left. The young full-back’s angled shot took a deflection off Sterling and beat Bravo at his near post.
But Celtic’s lead barely lasted any longer this time. City, now enjoying a greater share of possession and territorial progress, levelled again eight minutes later, Sterling displaying great poise and precision to beat Gordon from around 14 yards, Silva having engineered the chance after nicking the ball off Brown.
Celtic came closest to scoring again before the interval, Mikael Lustig heading over from Rogic’s corner, and it said everything about the breathless nature of the first half that no stoppage time was added.
Celtic went ahead for the third time just 28 seconds after the restart. Tierney foraged down the left again and when his cross was missed by Kolarov, the ball fell to Dembele who improvised brilliantly to hook a shot over his shoulder and high into the net.
City, though, were in no mood to let their unbeaten start to the season go lightly. Gordon made a smart save to deny Nolito, who then saw another shot blocked by Lustig.
Gordon was forced into a terrific save when he got down low to keep out Ilkay Gundogan’s free-kick but could do little to prevent City’s third leveller. He did well to parry Sergio Aguero’s close-range shot but the ball broke for Nolito to slide it into the unguarded net.
Celtic had to ride their luck a little in the closing stages, which saw Gordon make a superb save to deny Gundogan a 90th-minute winner, but they had more than earned their share of the spoils.