Five-star Celts put on a Light show in Wearside
CELTIC came to commemorate the 20th anniversary of Sunderland’s Stadium of Light — and the occasion proved most illuminating for Brendan Rodgers.
The Scottish title holders need to score against Rosenborg in midweek but with Moussa Dembele injured and Leigh Griffiths a doubt, Rodgers at the very least needs a back-up plan as he attempts to navigate a deadlocked Champions League qualifier in Trondheim.
At the instigation of the clubs’ shared shirt sponsor, this match ran under the guise of the Dafabet Cup but it could have been subtitled the James Forrest experiment.
Having tried, unsuccessfully, to station Tom Rogic in a central striker’s role against the Norwegians in the first leg of the qualifying tie, it was the Scotland winger’s turn to lead the line.
Forrest may not have scored but his movement troubled the Sunderland defence and helped work the space that allowed Callum McGregor to claim a hat-trick before he departed to acclaim after an hour. Hopes remain that Griffiths will be fit to start up top in Norway but if he does not make it, then Forrest looks a far better bet than Rogic. His ability to link with both Scott Sinclair and McGregor was every bit as much an asset as his pace and mobility.
With three competitive games already in the legs, you would expect Celtic to be sharper and the lead arrived quickly and with no real creativity required.
Goalkeeper Jason Steele miscued a backpass and fired it straight into the feet of defender Lamine Kone who showed even less composure, his poor connection sending the ball spinning into the air and back into the penalty box. McGregor pounced to tuck away the chance.
The 24-year-old’s second came at the end of a piercing move that ended with Sinclair splitting the defence for a rolled finish that oozed confidence. McGregor might even have had his hat-trick before half-time as another low drive bounced off the post, while Sinclair saw one cleared off the line and Olivier Ntcham had an effort saved by Steele. In between those goals, Dorus de Vries showcased his shot-stopping skills with a onehanded save from James Vaughan but he did even better when the hosts were awarded a penalty.
Ntcham, who does not seem to move the ball with the speed desired by Rodgers, got caught the wrong side of substitute George Honeyman and clipped his heels.
Vaughan, linked with Celtic during the days of Neil Lennon, saw his first effort pushed away by the Dutch keeper, who then did even better with the rebound to block with his legs.
Ntcham redeemed himself by inadvertently assisting Jonny Hayes for the third, his curling shot beaten away by Steele and into the path of the former Aberdeen man, who killed the ball on his thigh then fired home.
Celtic added a fourth from the penalty spot just before the hour mark when Tony Ralston was felled by former Celt Aiden McGeady, who was otherwise anonymous. McGregor showed Vaughan how it’s done with another cool finish.
Substitute Stuart Armstrong added the fifth when Nir Bitton played a short free-kick. The midfielder’s 22-yard left-foot shot was no rocket but, even allowing for a deflection, the ease with which it trundled into the far corner summed up Sunderland’s day.
If there were any negatives for Celtic, whose Green Brigade ‘ultras’ are in the midst of a twomatch Parkhead ban, it was in the continued use of pyrotechnics and songs from the paramilitary section of the 9,000-strong travelling support’s songbook.
Sunderland, still smarting from Premier League relegation, have big problems and appeared weak all over the pitch. Simon Grayson’s men kick off their Championship campaign against Derby County on Friday night but, on this evidence, are in for a long, difficult season.
Anyone looking for reasons why Derek McInnes was so reluctant to swap Aberdeen for the Stadium of Light would have found almost as much illumination in this game as Rodgers.