ANGE POSTECOGLOU’S hopes of a winning start to his Celtic Premiership career were scuppered by Hearts at Tynecastle on the opening day of the new league season on July 31 2021.
The Hoops fought back from conceding a sloppy opening goal to ex-Hoops winger Gary Mackay-Steven to level with a superb solo effort from right-back Anthony Ralston.
Postecoglou suffered when what looked like a perfectly legitimate second goal from Liel Abada was ruled out for a marginal touch-and-go offside decision against Greg Taylor who had whipped over an inviting cross from the left.
HEAR! HEAR! Ange Postecoglou walks off the Tynecastle pitch after Celtic’s 3-0 Scottish Cup quarter-final romp on March 11.
Referee Bobby Madden ruled it out in controversial pre-VAR circumstances and, in equally contentious fashion, awarded the hosts a free-kick on the left wing with just a minute to go.
There was a 50/50 tussle with Ismaila Soro and John Souttar battling for possession. If anything, it looked as though the Ivorian midfielder had been pushed off the ball.
Worse was to follow when Michael Smith flighted over the dodgy award and Souttar was allowed to leap unhindered to rocket a header past Scott Bain.
That emerged as the winning goal to welcome the Greek-Australian gaffer to our shores.
REO BRAVO…new Bhoy Reo Hatate wallops in his first goal for Celtic in the 2-1 league win at Tynceastle on January 26 2022.
PICK IT OUT…Hearts keeper Craig Gordon is stranded as Reo Hatate and Giorgos Giakoumakis celebrate the Japanese midfielder’s fabulous strike.
THAT’S MY BHOY…Ange Postecoglou congratulates goalscorer Reo Hatate.
Postecoglou, though, has wreaked a terrible revenge on the Edinburgh team with nine successive victories since that inauspicious start in Scotland’s capital city back in July 2021, just a month after his arrival as the long-term replacement for Neil Lennon.
The 57-year-old boss has guided his team to seven league triumphs and wins in both domestic Cup competitions to discard that first wretched memory to football’s rubbish bin.
At the same time, the Parkhead men have fired 24 shots into their rivals’ net.
It’s a fairly emphatic response in righting the wrongs of a dubious debut defeat.
Here is the sequence:
SEASON 2021/22
August 15, 2021: League Cup:
CELTIC 3 Hearts 2
Edouard, Welsh, Kyogo
December 2: Premiership
CELTIC 1 Hearts 0
Kyogo
January 26, 2022: Premiership
Hearts 1 CELTIC 2
Hatate, Giakoumakis
May 7: Premiership:
CELTIC 4 Hearts 1
Maeda, Kyogo,O’Riley, Giakoumakis
SEASON 22/23
August 21: Premiership:
CELTIC 2 Hearts 0
Kyogo, Giakoumakis
October 22: Premiership:
Hearts 3 CELTIC 4
Forrest, Giakoumakis, Maeda, Taylor
March 8, 2023: Premiership:
CELTIC 3 Hearts 1
Maeda, Kyogo, Haksabanovic
March 11: Scottish Cup
Hearts 0 CELTIC 3
Mooy, Kyogo, Carter-Vickers
May 7: Premiership:
Hearts 0 CELTIC 2
Kyogo, Oh
TO BE CONTINUED…
