Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Celtic hold their nerve in Dingwall as league title edges closer
CELTIC manager Ange Postecoglou hailed his players’ laser focus after they took a major step closer to being crowned champions with a 2-0 victory over Ross County in Dingwall.
The cinch Premiership leaders can now all but secure the title if they beat Rangers at Parkhead next Sunday to go nine points clear with three games left.
Celtic, who are 19 goals better off than their city rivals, came through a tricky spell at the start of the second half in Dingwall but Joe Hart was never seriously troubled.
Kyogo Furuhashi’s first goal since the Premier Sports Cup final sent Celtic on the way when he headed home in the 12th minute, and Jota slid home to net from close range three minutes from time to ease the tension among the visiting fans.
Celtic have now won 24 and drawn three of their last 27 league games after dropping 11 points in their first seven matches, and Postecoglou is full of admiration for how his players have handled the pressure following their slow start.
“Every game has been important to win,” he said.
“Have a look at our record from round six. If people can show me the games where we could have afforded a slip-up, I’ll be happy to have a look.
“You look at our record and the challenges we’ve had throughout that time, the players have been laser focused.
“I’m not surprised, but very proud. It’s one of those where sometimes I sit back and just think about what this group of men have achieved in such a short space of time.
“The beauty of it is that they’ll be back in now and getting into recovery and getting ready to go again next week. They won’t even be talking about anything else other than that we got the job done.”