Postecoglou’s joy as Celts all but clinch it
ANGE POSTECOGLOU praised his Parkhead heroes for overcoming title nerves to all but clinch the Premiership crown.
Celtic produced a storming comeback to thrash Hearts 4-1 and will be confirmed champions if
Rangers fail to beat Dundee
United today.
Even victory for Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s Europa
League stars would only delay the inevitable as Celtic boast a yawning goal difference advantage of 22.
Postecoglou won’t pay attention to Ibrox events as he says he will take his sons to watch The Bad Guys at the cinema.
And the bigger picture for him was the response of his squad to a setback yesterday that marked them down as worthy champions.
A third-minute goal from Ellis Simms threatened a fraught occasion for Celtic with the finishing line in sight.
But strikes from Daizen Maeda, Kyogo
TOBY SIBBICK suspects referee Don Robertson was swayed by the crowd as Celtic stormed back into the game.
The Hearts man insisted he was fouled by Callum McGregor seconds before Daizen Maeda’s goal brought the home side level after half an hour played.
Furious pleas from Sibbick and his colleagues fell on deaf ears and there was no stopping Celtic after that.
Kyogo Furuhashi struck seven minutes later with a goal that Sibbick suggested also had dubious origins.
‘It’s a blatant foul on me for the first goal,’ said the 22-year-old Englishman. ‘He’s come from the side or behind me and just swiped my legs and got the ball.
‘I thought the ref was going to give it but he didn’t and they went down the other end and scored.
‘It was a key moment at 1-0, we were defending well, they didn’t have space to play.
‘If the ref gives that as a foul then we get a set-piece and it’s a scoring chance for us.
‘I tried to talk to the ref but he wasn’t trying to listen. He said he won the ball — but it’s a foul.
‘Even the second goal, I think Ginno (Josh Ginnelly) kicked it on to their player for our throw-in but he gave it to them.
‘Trying to talk to the ref is tough and, with the crowd behind them as well, he’s going to get influenced.
‘I think a few decisions didn’t go our way, that’s football. Sometimes when you come to these places you won’t get it your way.’
Hearts boss Robbie Neilson will now try to nurse his squad through the final two league games — at Motherwell and at home to Rangers — with the Scottish Cup final very much in mind.
Neilson, who gave teenager Murray Thomas a debut in the closing minutes, admitted substitutes John Souttar, Michael Smith and Cammy Devlin were barely fit to take their place on the bench.
‘We just brought them here to have them part of the group,’ said Neilson.
‘Probably if it was a normal season, we’d have taken them out for the season.
‘But because we’ve got the final we want to push them to come back, but just need to make sure we don’t push them too far.’