THAT’S MO LIKE IT
Elyounoussi hits double as Hoops go for jugular at last
They’re a bit late to start firing in the league again.
But Celtic at least sent out a Scottish Cup warning shot to Rangers with a rampant victory over Livingston.
There might still be a cloud hanging over Parkhead, given the current managerial vacuum.
But there was no doubt that John Kennedy’s players looked more like their old selves as they hit the Lions for six.
James Forrest, David Turnbull, Scott Brown, Ryan Christie and Moi Elyounoussi, with a double, put the visitors to the sword.
In Premiership terms, of course, it means little.
But if they produce this type of display next Saturday, Steven Gerrard’s side certainly won’t
CELTIC.................................. LIVINGSTON........................ have it all their own way. Celtic were excellent.
They went for the jugular, were easy on the eye going forward and scored some terrific goals.
And man- of- the- match Elyounoussi said: “We will take confidence from this and take that into the Rangers game.
“We felt a result like this was coming sooner or later as we have been building up to this.
“I was happy with my goals and the assist for David too as it is always nice to help the team.”
A we e k b e f o r e that showdown at Ibrox, Kennedy picked what is – on paper, anyway – his best Celtic side.
And to accommodate the best players within it, he changed their formation from a midfield diamond to 4-2-3-1 – possibly with that Rangers tie in mind.
Crucially, it allowed him to get comeback man Forrest operating in the area where he’s most comfortable, on the right flank.
It also gives Celtic’s central defence a shield, with Brown and Callum McGregor in front.
That, in turn, gives licence to full-backs Jonjoe Kenny and Greg Taylor to bomb on.
Turnbull had the freedom to support Odsonne Edouard while Elyounoussi started wide on the left then cut infield.
Sounds simple, doesn’t it? But they still had to break down a Livi side who had drawn with the dethroned champions in their last two meetings.
On their last visit to Parkhead, Livi pressed Celtic high and hounded them into mistakes.
But from the off here, it was a different game altogether.
The home side were far better at breaking lines and getting the ball wide or up to Edouard.
Kennedy said pre-match he wanted to “disorganise” Livi and they did. David Martindale had to change shape early on and Livi were forced to retreat.
On the half hour, Forrest’s direct running and the touch of Edouard got them in front.
The winger played a pass inside to Turnbull and drove into the box. The French striker had spotted his run and picked out Forrest with a killer ball.
His sclaffed finish wasn’t what he intended but was enough to deceive keeper Robby McCrorie.
Celtic deserved to be in front and it got better for the home side eight minutes later.
Elyounoussi got to the byeline and his cross f licked off Jack Fitzwater but Turnbull was unmarked a few yards out to chest the ball home.
Celtic’s diamond, which was
brought in by previous gaffer Neil Lennon in an attempt to change his side’s fortunes, had been working reasonably well for them.
But when their best players are fit and firing, you feel this system suits them best.
Livi had to force a way back in the game and James’ younger brother Alan got a shot off inside the box that Scott Bain saved.
Martindale hooked Craig Sibbald and Jay EmmanuelThomas to shake things up.
But with Celtic in full flow, there was little he or his players could do to stop them.
If it wasn’t for young McCrorie, Elyounoussi would have scored a double inside the f irst f ive minutes of the second half. But it wasn’t long before he was picking the ball out the net again.
Brown got free at a Turnbull corner to head towards goal – although it appeared to take a nick of Fitzwater on the way in.
It was a reminder of how Celtic can perform when they’re on it.
A fourth was coming and it was no surprise to see Elyounoussi on the scoresheet, a brilliant finish high past McCrorie.
Lions sub Matej Poplatnik should have made it 4-1 from point- blank range but was thwarted by Bain.
But at the other end, McCrorie denied Edouard with yet another cracking stop.
The only dampener on Celtic’s day was when Forrest went down and was taken off as a precaution.
After missing several months due to ankle surgery, his teammates looked worried.
Kennedy took no chances, replacing him with Ryan Christie.
Elyounoussi said: “Hopefully it’s not serious.
“We could also see he was sad about it and that wasn’t good. With luck he’ll be back soon.”
The change didn’t stop Celtic’s rhythm – and Elyounoussi got their fifth in 65 minutes.
Kris Ajer glided forward unchallenged before playing in his pal, who conjured up a lovely dinked finish over McCrorie.
Christie popped up at the death with an impressive solo goal to put the icing on the cake.
The big question is, can they replicate it when the pressure’s on at Ibrox next week?