Joe Ledley scored the only goal of the game that saw Celtic leapfrog Rangers at the top of the SPL. Celtic dominated throughout but it was a game full of controversial incidents. Lee Wallace appeared to have opened the scoring for Rangers but Fraser Forster scooped the ball out of the net. In the second half Gary Hooper was sent clean through by Georgios Samaras but was incorrectly flagged for offside.
Referee Willie Collum declined to show a red card to Lee McCulloch, David Healy and Kyle Lafferty despite plenty of provocation but Rangers never looked like forcing an equaliser once they went behind.
Celtic had the ball in the net early on when Rangers’ keeper, Allan McGregor spilled the first of two Gary Hooper shots he failed to keep hold off. Georgios Samaras was on-hand to clip the ball over the keeper but was flagged for offside. Despite Celtic enjoying the majority of possession Rangers had the best two chances of the first half. Wallace’s header which Forster’s alertness kept from hitting the net and then Carlos Bocanegra had a gilt-edged chance from six yards out but made a clumsy connection with his knee and sent the ball over.
Sone Aluko caused Celtic some problems early on when playing wide right but with Celtic dominating central midfield Ally McCoist pulled Aluko into the middle, which didn’t prevent Beram Kayal and Victor Wanyama from controlling midfield but blunted Rangers attacking options.
The gales which blew through Glasgow today faded as the game wore on but they were still strong throughout the first half with Celtic playing into the wind. On a couple of occasions Fraser Forster’s clearances didn’t reach the halfway line, in contrast to the second half, when his clearances repeatedly ran through to McGregor in the opposite goal. As a result, half time was a welcome break for Celtic.
The second half was five minutes old when Charlie Mulgrew got his first opportunity to send in a wind-assisted in-swinging corner. There is something curious about a 6’3” central defender taking corner kicks instead of trying to get on the end of them but Mulgrew’s delivery provided evidence as to why this is.
The corner was fast and direct but dipped five yards from goal at the far post. Four players jumped for the ball but Joe Ledley picked the flight of the ball out of the blustery confusion. All the ball needed was the faintest touch to send it bulleting high into the net.
Adam Matthews dominated the right side of the field. His pace allowed him to recover to inhibit any attack down the Rangers left while his control and passing pegged Rangers back throughout. Rangers played Nikica Jelavic on Thomas Rogne, who was hooked when the pair met at Hampden in March, but the 21-year-old Norwegian was never in trouble this evening. Jelavic was a sorry looking shadow of a football player who is flattered by reported interest in him.
Beram Kayal was taken out of the game by Lee McCulloch, who was red carded on his last appearance against St Mirren, but with Kayal on the deck McCulloch hung a limp ankle in the air while writhing in pain. It looked like a break for the Rangers player but he got up after referee Collum decided against showing a red card.
The league’s poorest player, David Healy, made a late cameo and should have been shown a straight red card for a dangerous lunge at James Forrest. Fellow Irishman, Kyle Lafferty, was also lucky to escape a red when he took Adam Matthews out of the game as Rangers lost their discipline late on.
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Beautiful, just beautiful.
Top
Of
The
League
Celtic Soul Brother- Supporting Kano 1000 says:
29 December, 2011 at 00:31
I put forward Joe Ledley as a candidate to Captain Celtic because he was from a Celtic nation.
VICTOR, BERAM, SCOTT, JOE, GEORGIOS the list is getting long now. ;)
The Sh*t Neil Lennon has had to go through, and he may well be a clairvouyant (Top Man gall, jelly said way after the killie game).
Neil Lennon has Fostered MULTIPLE Captains of Celtic.
Apologies for the Blatant sweary words upcoming Paul67……
How Fr*gging Good is that.
GENIUS
That My Friends in GLASGOW CELTIC is a Genius at Work.
Dubliners in dubai tonight was absolutely jumpin.
Commons must not be allowed to leave. I’ll be gutted if he goes…. A true match winner and we will need him before the end of the season.
Great result tonight, but tinged with a hint of sadness.
I stopped posting around early November, when i realised that this blog, and probably a good part of the so called “Celtic” supporters, had thrown in the towel.
I said then, we would win the league, and would probably be ahead before new year.
This was despite reading headers from paul67, saying we were in a fight for second with motherwell, and the shameful posts from forrest and many others.
Don’t want to put a downer on tonight, but it had to be said.
HH
BABASONICOS71 says:
29 December, 2011 at 00:35
Ha Ha , feck me, how many words do you want?
Hope it’s no a university thesis.
Not enough, accurate references. !
joe ledley by thai tims
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-5Bf0OmYtA
An absolutely wonderful week for Celtic.
I am overjoyed and am reminded of what it feels like to be a Celtic fan.
Neil Lennon deserves great great credit for the way he has come back from that game at Kilmarnock. I didn’t think we could do it and the club appeared to be in a bit of disarray but full credit to all involved BUT this time last year we beat them and drew our next game against Hamilton. We have a similar type of game against Dunfermline on Monday – momentum is now the key thing. We have it, keep it going because they are playing their habitual lie downers in Motherwell.
AS for the game, that might have been a goal for them, it might not. In real time I thought it was an of the post effort. Not sure the whole ball was over the line in the replay but regardless we got our first real break in this fixture for a number of years and they can at last point to a game where a referee decision may or may not have cost them – it will be up there with the Roy Aitken stealing a shy in 1989 as an example of how Celtic get all the breaks. I’m not going to list the honest mistakes, we all know them so perhaps the tide has turned (but the Aluko dive says otherwise).
Healy, McCulloch and Lafferty should all have been ordered from the field but no doubt that would have resulted in a summit and nonsense of that ilk. It is better to beat them when their thuggery can’t get them by and the fact that Collum did his usual “I’ve forgot my red cards routine” makes it arguably sweeter.
Keep it going Celtic, they are falling apart.
Watched the game in a pub where the commentary was down, and unabloe to get cqn updates, ( not looked back on the comments yet).. to be fair expected a win, but if ( worse case scenario)I’d been offered 4 points behind 2 months ago, would have taken it.
To be 2 points up is spectacular, well done to all concerned, congratulqations to neil and the coaching staff, also to the playing staff, samaras( who I have regularly doubted) ledley ( who is often under valued) and even to Ki who as the huns made 2 irrele3vant changes, came on and if anything strenghtened the team thank you all, difficult to explain the significance of this win……
Ceaser67 says:
29 December, 2011 at 00:38
I think the G B has grown from 3000 to 55000!!
——————————————————-
Mo Chara, in my opinion only until such time as a reb song is sang. A couple were sang tonight with a muted response from the alleged silent majority.
The GB are the Rehbel without which without Celtic as we know it can not exist.
IMHO
eh one too many without
Cultsbhoy
The interesting thing is, with Celtic’s Europa League dough and the recent wage bill pruning, that Celtic have no need whatsoever to sell anyone. Last year McGeady’s sale balanced the books. This year, the books are just fine, thank you.
In fact, Celtic have, from a business perspective let alone a football one, every incentive to keep these kids together long enough to see what happens when they actually grow up.
I don’t think Celtic will be selling in January, certainly not the cream of the crop, albeit that it’s likely that there will be a couple of interesting bids.
Lenny is making the new project happen, and I am absolutely delighted for him.
Delighted.
Embarrassing attempt to annoy Celtic fans by dumping their Christmas present wrappers in paradise.
Embarrassing attempt at playing football.
Embarrassing 15 point lead gone.
Celtic on the other hand absolutely top notch.
Forster magnificent save. Ledley cracking header. Kayal and wanyama bossed midfield. Hope kayal is ok.
Celtic support magnificent as usual, young, old, male and female all supporting their team and creating a cracking atmosphere.
Hail hail and god bless.
Just back from the club and glad the game is finishe
Healy’s challenge a red card every day of the week.
A couple of months ago there was disharmony at C P. Neil and his family get attacked from all angles. But he came thru it all. That lot are scum of the highest order!!!
Algarvian
Credit to you. I never gave up on Lenny but I totally believed we were sunk. It has been an astounding turn around by any measure…I find it incredible any Celtic supporter did not harbor doubts…Faith is an incredible thing, blind and irrational but it is different to belief..
game coming on SS1 at 1am for those returning from game or wanting to re-watch The New Champions
Still in cheers Sydney. Party :)))
hen1rik
Absolutely buzzing mate.
I always had faith but to be top of the league going into New Year
is a wonderful, wonderful feeling.
Hail Hail
The party continued when thy reopened the bar at the Glencairn in Rutherglen !
HH Freddiebhoy
Surely you’d be mental not to think the team was up sh*t creek when 15 points down on such a poor mob, the players and coaches weren’t doing their job and for once we couldn’t really blame the huns. We were just awful.
Don’t really get the posts about how it was always going to turn out well for the good guys (yeah worked out well last year), blind faith isn’t healthy.
oglach
Run that by me again. ffs
Just going to watch the game now so nobody spoil it by telling me the result hehe.
Where ever you are in this great Celtic family , God Bless and we are top of the league BTW.
Big Packie’s Accent says:
29 December, 2011 at 00:45
BABASONICOS71 says:
29 December, 2011 at 00:35
Ha Ha , feck me, how many words do you want?
Hope it’s no a university thesis.
Not enough, accurate references. !
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A succinct account would suffice.I would refer you to the two word album review of ‘S**t Sandwich*’ by Spinal Tap.
*Replace the word sandwich with footballer.
Freddiebhoy says:
29 December, 2011 at 00:51
A condensed spread of Allys troubled face? ;)
All those blue xmas wrapping that the huns threw onto the pitch, on TV it just looked like a hun on the floor injured, don’t really understand what they were after
seanbhoy69
HAIL HAIL !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
:)
Just had to come out of lurking after tonight :), solid performance good win. Just realised the back four who were very impressive tonight cost us a grand total of £0 in transfer fees!! Craig Whyte eat your heart out!!
It was not the win against Rangers that sees us back at the top where we belong, we are back there after all the hard work over the past twelve months. Nobody is going to gift Celtic the league, nobody. Time for a deserved celebration and then with hunger… back to work.
For me Elbows did not deserve to be sent off, but his amateur dramatics had him marked down for a belated card.
Lafferty got what he deserved a yellow.
Heally should have been locked up after that challenge, it was professional thuggery. After all that happened after the shame game he, and his club, should hang their heads in shame for that alone.
My MOTM, I ‘d open the bottle and share it between Charlie, James Forrest and Tommy the rock, and I’d donate the empty to Craig’s fund for upcoming legals.
We got what we deserved. We’ve worked hard to get what we deserved.
It’s a long time since I posted… I have taken up a local cause against a Mexican multinational quarry company that is taking up almost all of my non-work energy. But Neil Lennon’s inspirational leadership has brought a remarkable turnaround in Celtic’s fortunes, and this in turn has inspired me. I only hope that the Celts can carry this through to the end of the season.
Lads please you are embarrassing yourselfs tonight.
Lafferty missed Mathews FFS geez a break.
Look let it go it’s over 2pts ahead go watch it again and you will change yer mind.
How any Hun can be happy with the style of play from them is beyond me.
All they do is punt the ball up park and hope for the best.
The ranger are an embarrassment.
Just watching the game again-what a great pass from Rogne to Forrest whose shot was turned over the bar and then Ledley scored from the corner-never noticed that pass first time round!
“We shall not be moved” blasting out!
Hi Happy CQNer’s, from the nightshift.
I have just popped in to ask a small favour….
As i don’t have Sky, I was wondering if any fellow Celt could provide a link to the full 90 mins ?
It would certainly make an old Tim happy on a night like tonight.
Thanks in advance.
P.S. Lennons Lions for the Treble!!!
Hail! Hail!
Had to watch the game online tonight and might have to apologise to the neighbours.
Must have thought i was sacrificing a cow for the feast of hun-bash-ing!!!!
Matthews or Rogne for doing the simple stuff right (former at pace)!
Biggest shout was for the fans tho. Absolutely immense and knocks the spots off anyone who thinks that they could match it. Maybe it was because the hun couldn’t come up with something legal.
One wee comment about those who slag others for their opinions – is it better to let people think you are an idiot or open your mouth and confirm it!
HH
We shall overcome!
AoW
Attention seeking, you made your point.
Themole,
“Craig Whyte eat your heart out!! ”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He’s a hun.He has no heart. ;-)
CultsBhoy hates being 2nd says:
29 December, 2011 at 00:50
Algarvian
Credit to you. I never gave up on Lenny but I totally believed we were sunk. It has been an astounding turn around by any measure…I find it incredible any Celtic supporter did not harbor doubts…Faith is an incredible thing, blind and irrational but it is different to belief..
Thanks for that.
I posted this on another site, on 27th October.
So as not to be accused of aftertiming, i will say it now.
Celtic to win the SPL at the current price of approx. 9/5 is a steal.
I’m actually fairly confident that we will be ahead, or close to it, before the turn of the year, never mind the end of the season.
Another great Celtic night down Paradise way.
We were better in every area of the park without being brilliant although they did have eight and nine behind the ball to deny us any space in the last third.
Still can’t believe that Healy didn’t see red for that assault on young Forrest – disgraceful. McCulloch and Lafferty’s were par for the course but no excuse for Healy.
And where did the 5 minutes come from? Still I suppose it extended the fun/pain depending on your viewpoint.
Anyway both managers are shaping up well.