Celtic blitzed into the lead after an incredible opening two minutes of tonight’s SPL encounter at Tynecastle and went on to record one of their most impressive performances in years.
Hearts were miles behind the visitors in every department but could have taken the lead after a minute when Andy Webster was left unattended at a corner kick and his downward header was met inside the six yard box by Stephen Elliot who knocked the ball goal-ward. Joe Ledley intercepted on the line but the ball bounced net-side. As Elliot prepared to celebrate the left hand of Fraser Forster appeared from nowhere to remove any possibility of the officials having sight of the ball. Comments on Celtic Quick News suggest it looked a goal at the time and replays did little to contradict that view.
If the never-give-up spirit is alive inside Fraser Forster his captain was no less focussed tonight. Georgios Samaras cleared the ball out of the box and Scott Brown turned defence into attack with a deft flick on the middle of the field. Brown fed James Forrest who whipped in a cross that rebounded off Samaras, now inside the Hearts box to Scott Brown, who had jetted into the area. The captain steadied before shooting low past MacDonald in the Hearts goal.
The game was only two minutes old but we already knew we were in for a night to remember.
Full of confidence Scott Brown tried a decent effort from 30 yards that went narrowly over but Celtic were not to be denied a second for long. On 20 minutes Charlie Mulgrew’s deep corner was knocked back in by Forrest to Victor Wanyama, who turned and scooped the ball high into the net.
Celtic were motoring and looked streets ahead of their hosts as the reverential home support looked on.
By now Hearts looked more likely to score into their own goal. On three occasions in the opening 30 minutes MacDonald had to scramble across his goal under pressure from his own team. Zaliukas came closest to knocking the ball into his own net but his ‘clearance’ went narrowly wide.
Just after the 30 minute mark Scott Brown robbed Zaliukas as he took the ball out of defence and fed Samaras. Georgios hit the bye-line and send in a deep cross which hung at the back post just long enough for Joe Ledley to stretch and nod home. Celtic were 0-3 up and already guaranteed to move four points clear at the top of the table.
The fourth goal came on 60 minutes after one of the finest moves of the game saw Matthews feed Hooper and the striker tee-up Joe Ledley whose shot hit the post and was turned behind. Mulgrew’s resultant corner was met by Victor Wanyama and could have bounced over the line but Gary Hooper was on hand to clear up any doubt to hit the roof of the net from a distance no farther than 6 inches.
Late on Kelvin Wilson cleared out of the Celtic box to Samaras who was 40 yards from his own goal. The Greek international ran 50 yards before testing MacDonald from distance.
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479 Comments- Pages:
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Huns on the run
UC
super Celtic
Good result.
Broony & Sammi marauding, but my MOTM was Charlie Mulgrew
Brilliant performance. Players are full of confidence and Neil is learning fast.
Will take a good team to beat us now this season.
Celticbob very happy.
Top ten ?
No fun being a hun
Well done Celtic looking good
last time I felt like this was when we done Liverpool in 2003..
That was our team at its best..
this team has a long way to go….
I am a wee bit excited about what we could do…
Maybe I’m getting forgetful, but I can never remember a refereeing decision in the 1st minute of a game, having so much influence over the next 89 minutes, in my life. (if you had listened to radio scotland tonight you would understand)
Chick young’s beelingness (if that’s a word) is totally outrageous, and bordering on the thin line between acceptable observation and blatant. . . . . . . . (and all on a national radio station)
Anyhow, now that’s off my chest
Great result, well done Neil and the team.
Onwards and upwards.
HH
chicosbeelin.CSC
When he [Samaras] is pressing high up the pitch, when he’s mentally tuned in, he’s a top player, and that feeds into the rest of the team. Craig Levein
Samaras’s contribution has been shamefully overlooked. Celtic Player of the Year.
Outstanding. ‘That’s what Celtic teams are about’.
Can’t imagine a Celtic without Neil Lennin.
oh and happy birthday again M42…
Celticbob
There’s no team in Scotland good enough.
Top 10 for first time ever
Or a Neil Lennon!
ThomasRogne25
Great result tonight! Fans amazing as always! My calf was a bit tight, so I came off. Shouldn’t be any problems for saturday. #HailHail
you hear neg anon and donegal leprecahun get on here and apologise to every true celtic supporter about the utter tosh you both scribed some months back about neil lenny lennon about the players and most of all about the board ya pair of utter clowns
Goals from tonight since paul posted a new article…….ya rascal ye !
http://www.kirkintillochemerald.co.uk/showthread.php?p=26650#post26650
Paul67
great report- bet you enjoyed doing that one..
fantastic stuff
HH
M
As I said earlier…
Can’t understand the predictions of a 4-0 or 5-0 win. I’ve seen nothing lately that would suggest better than 2-0. 1-0 will be just fine.
mea culpa!
wonderful.
great performance.
Broon, Sammi, Hooper, Victor, Muldrew, Ledley, outstanding.
RalphWaldoEllison-is Neil Lennon Season 2011-12
Yae hit it on the head Bhoy, shades of the day’s of the Big Mans Tactics, great to see that kind of performance from such a young team.Some crap from pundits that the Russian Windae still open, Hooper and Forest geesa breck.
Awerabest PJ
It was Dubliner Stephen Elliott who had the “goal”
pedanticcsc
if any journo attempts to call the non gaol as an influential part of the game they`re off their heads
Jambo`s were thumped ….FACT
“Brown fed James Forrest who whipped in a cross that rebounded off Samaras, now inside the Hearts box to Scott Brown, who had jetted into the area”
Rebounded off Samaras???!!!???
The best thigh lay-off I have ever seen.
Great win! Great night!
Who needs goal line technology? Just give linesmen one of those HUGE magnifiers Sky Sports uses!
England lose their manager and Villa punt McLeish, Carlsberg Wednesday…
HH
Something great is happening before our eyes!
Lenny …. I love you wee man!
CCE
not overly gracious
and not the time
just my opinion …of course
according to FF, “no huns in scotland ” = ethnic cleansing!!!!!!
Important we never gave them a glimmer of hope tonight. Fabulous performance with our captain leading from the front. Keep it up Bhoys.
Sitting watching the decision with a few of my mates…some said never over, others def just over the line…others (me included) saying I hope it was miles over the line as that would make it be better..First time ive saw it from what we would call the north stand side in BigJies usual outstanding clips and it is very 50/50. I really do wish it had hit the net at the back like Dolphs at Motherwell which we did not get……These honest mistakes even themself out…rol on the next 120 years
CCE
Those bhoys a Celtic fans…
have they no right to an opinion…?
neg anon was on here last week…like the Celtic fans happy when we had a result…
Paul67
I was right then.
We well and truely blew them away.
I also liked Lenny’s reply to spanner at the end, if Zenit want Hoops, the bidding starts at 24 mill, that put the twat in his place :>)
Just to prove I am on a roll…
Was going to post pre-match that giving Vic a rest would be good as he had been relatively poor the last 3 weeks.
Strangely there is no groundswell demanding neveralone replaces NL as manager :-)
Incredible performance tonight. Thats the Glasgow Celtic way to play. Thought Sammi was absolutely superb, last Sept I would have gladly parted with him. Just shows what I know. I’m high as a kite I hoped the game would run for another hour. Roll on Saturday.
I’m quite clear in my mind that was a Hertz goal tonight, as was the Huns at CP in December, but they were early enough in both games that we would have come back and won both games anyway. I have no qualms about us getting a bit of luck in a couple of big games for a change…..and as big DJ always says “these things even themselves out over the season”.
Amen, brother!
T4
GL2
have you lost my postal address? o)))
Brilliant celtic!
ASonOfDan
Seriously, have Villa sacked Eck ?