BRENDAN RODGERS praised referee Craig Thomson for the way he handled Celtic’s 2-0 triumph at Ibrox.
The Hoops opened up an eight-point lead over Pedro Caixinha’s outfit following two second-half goals from Tom Rogic and Leigh Griffiths and the Irishman took time out to mention the whistler after the match.
Rodgers said: “I thought it was a competitive game. It was aggressive and you want it aggressive.
“But I think we need to give a mention to the referee as well because he was excellent.”
The home support howled for a first-half penalty-kick when Alfredo Morelos went down theatrically after a challenge from Jozo Simunovic. Thomson ignored the appeals and TV pictures showed the defender made no contact with the Colombian who appeared to be looking for the opportunity to fall over.
Ironically, the Ibrox striker became the first played to be booked after a foul on Dedryck Boyata.
Rodgers was also encouraged by his side’s performance ahead of their crucial Champions League clash with Anderlecht on Wednesday.
He said: “I thought defensively we were outstanding in terms of our pressing and denying them the opportunity to play.
“In games here, you have to defend well and have good organisation.
“In the second-half, our conditioning and quality of our players came through. It was a very, very good performance.
“There was a great atmosphere and our boys coped with it well.”
The CQN Podcast: A Celtic State of Mind (EP13) The Quality Street Gang Part 1
A Celtic State of Mind offers an insight into the culture of Celtic Football Club, the city of Glasgow, and fans of the reigning invincible Scottish champions.
Each episode includes interviews with ‘Celtic-minded’ figures from the world of sport, music, film, art, broadcasting, literature or politics.
This week, ‘A Celtic State of Mind’ pays tribute to The Quality Street Gang.
In the first of a two-part series, Paul John Dykes interviews Billy Murdoch, Bobby Wraith, HughMcKellar and Lou Macari to discuss one of the finest crops of youngsters ever to emerge from Celtic Park.
90,000 Celtic fans can’t be wrong…
Connect with A Celtic State of Mind @PaulDykes and @CQNMagazine.
