BRENDAN RODGERS hailed wide Bhoys Yang Hyun-jun and Luis Palma as Celtic went on a wing and a slayer in the 6-0 rout of Aberdeen.
The South Korean and the Honduran ripped the Dons rearguard to shreds in the first-half as the Hoops, recovering from their mauling Madrid five days earlier, made no mistake as they restored their eight-point advantage at the top of the Premiership.
It was crucial the champions ignored the outside noise and the hullabaloo off the field to get the job done against Barry Robson’s side who had won in their previous visits to Glasgow at Ibrox and Hampden.
FIRST-CLASS DELIVERY…Luis Palma fires over the cross that led to the opening goal in the 6-0 rout of Aberdeen.
Palma got the party started with an inviting left-wing cross which was bulleted into the net by Yang for his first Hoops goal in the ninth minute.
The youngster played his part in the second only seven minutes later when he slipped a cunning pass to Matt O’Riley who set up Kyogo Furuhashi for a close-range finish for his eighth strike of the campaign.
Yang was forced to leave the field in the second-half following an accidental clash of heads with Jack MacKenzie before Palma rifled in No. 3 from the penalty spot.
The left-wing box of tricks then set up David Turnbull and Oh Hyeon-gyu for the fourth and fifth goals before the powerhouse striker raced away on an O’Riley through pass to whip the sixth and final strike behind keeper Kelle Roos who had made a handful of saves to prevent the scoreline veering towards double figures.
Rodgers was understandably delighted afterwards as he said: “The performance and result was very good.
“I thought both of the wingers were excellent. Luis Palma’s creativity is there to see, but you see the variety as he can go inside and outside and he can make a cross, as well.
WORKING A FLANKER…wingers Yang Hyun-jun and Luis Palma celebrate Celtic’s first goal.
“Yang is improving all of the time. When he first came you saw a young winger who was always trying to win the duel, but now he has variety in his game and makes a great pass in the second goal.
“He beats his man and underpinning that is a really hungry work ethic, so I’m very pleased for him.
“We had to react and this group are very honest to do that.
“I thought that performance-wise we were very good and the substitutes made an impact so overall I’m really pleased.”
Rodgers, speaking to Celtic TV, added: “Once we got going and once the players got into the game and showed that hunger and pressing, I thought the guys were excellent and so, too, were Oh and Turnbull.
“We showed the power in the team and the mentality to keep going until the end.
“Oh is a guy who works so hard and now he’s simplifying his game and not forcing it so much.
“Before, he was dropping too deep, but he doesn’t have to because he’s a targetman and he can hold the ball for us.
“He can also run in behind and overall he’s developing really well.”
WHAM, BANG, THANK YOU, YANG AS HOOPS HIT SIX
