On-loan Edouard takes the opportunity to shine with a stunning hat-trick
CELTIC 5
Edouard (16, 33, 85), Forrest (76, 88)
MOTHERWELL 1
Frear (65)
Brendan Rodgers resigned himself to losing his highestpaid player for three months, then had the consolation of watching another of his squad make a noisy claim for regular involvement.
Odsonne Edouard’s parent club is Paris Saint-Germain, but the teenage loan striker’s contribution before this match was quietly understated, with yesterday only his third start.
With the considerable presences of Moussa Dembele and Leigh Griffiths ahead of him in the queue that’s, perhaps, not too surprising.
However with the former out of action because of an ankle injury – small beer compared to the news of Patrick Roberts’ three-month layoff with a hamstring tear – and the latter rested ahead of Tuesday’s Champions League tie against Anderlecht, this was his opportunity.
And, with his three fine finishes in what was the Hoops’ biggest home league win of the season eclipsing even the brace from on-form James Forrest, he was more than content with his afternoon’s work.
“I am very happy, but first of all I want to thank everyone, especially my coach and my team-mates. I am absolutely delighted to score my first hat-trick for the club,” said Edouard.
“I have been patient, very patient, and very happy to start the game. It is all down to the trust of the manager and to make an impact with the hat-trick, I couldn’t be happier.
“Moussa and LG are both excellent players, great players. I get on very well with them both and I am not afraid of any competition. That is football and you always have to be ready.
“It is not up to me, it is up to the manager. I am happy to work hard, every day, every time. I know I am young, but I think I have already improved since I joined Celtic.”
The 19-year-old started his haul with a tidy finish from close range off a Scott Sinclair cross.
His second was a bit flashier, a 20-yard strike through the legs of Motherwell skipper Peter Hartley, who was guilty of backing off a bit too much.
For the hat-trick score, he got a bit of help, more than a bit to be fair, from Richard Tait whose tooshort back header set him up.
It was feisty throughout, with some bad feeling clearly carrying over from both the last week’s League Cup Final and the clubs’ contentious league meeting at Fir Park on Wednesday night.
Scott Brown was booked early on for clattering into the back of Louis Moult to halt a very promising Motherwell counter-attack.
His was the first of a few with Allan Campbell notable for completing a hat-trick of cautions across the three games.
It was the decision to rule out a goal that would have sent Celtic in at the break three up that was most curious. Ntcham sent Tom Rogic scampering clear with a nice through ball and the Australian calmly passed a shot beyond keeper Trevor Carson, who was being watched by Northern Ireland manager Michael O’Neill.
Referee Kevin Clancy initially waved for a goal, but, after a delay of a few seconds, was called across by his standside assistant Stuart Stevenson.
The officials chatted briefly and the decision was reversed with the goal chopped off for offside.
With Celtic already 2-0 up and coasting, it didn’t seem that significant.
When Motherwell pulled one back through Elliot Frear, the substitute darting in late to poke Richard Tait’s cross home, the grumbles grew.
Celtic still had more left in the tank, as it turned out, with a sub of their own, Cup Final hero James Forrest collecting a couple either side of Edouard’s hat-trick goal to give the final scoreline a sheen it possibly didn’t deserve.