THERE was no stopping Brendan Rodgers’ fired-up Celtic team as they rampaged to a 5-0 triumph over their thunderstruck Ibrox opponents at Parkhead on the gloriously sunny afternoon of April 29 2018.
The Hoops were ruthless and relentless as they wiped the floor with their Glasgow foes on their way to a 49th title.
It was an afternoon built for smiles. Rangers were due to visit and Celtic were 90 minutes away from another crown. No West End impresario could have stage-managed it with such flawless timing.
The rivals were hammered into submission and were fortunate to escape with only a five-goal drubbing.
READ ALL ABOUT IT…how the leagues were won.
The only surprise was that the victorious home players visibly eased off to a leisurely stroll with 37 minutes still to play. Celtic’s 7-1 League Cup Final victory at Hampden Park in 1957 is the club’s biggest victory in the derby match and the gap could have been obliterated on this occasion.
Graeme Murty knew his days as caretaker manager of the Govan club were over as he stood dumbstruck on the touchline, barely focusing on events unfolding in front of him as Rodgers’ side raced to a five-goal advantage by the 53rd minute.
It had been the third time the Irishman had seen his side score five goals against the same opposition after they had settled for a 4-0 triumph a fortnight earlier in the Scottish Cup semi-final.
Odsonne Edouard skimmed across the perfect playing surface to stick two in the net with James Forrest, claiming his first-ever strike against the Ibrox side, Callum McGregor and Tom Rogic joining in.
Image courtesy ‘CELTIC 50 Flags Plus One’ tribute book.
Rodgers revelled in the team’s seventh successive title triumph and smiled when he had been reminded it had been the first time in 39 years Celtic, then bossed by the legendary Billy McNeill, had clinched the flag against the Ibrox side.
The Celtic manager beamed: “I’m really proud. These games are full of emotion, but we said to the players beforehand that we obviously knew the consequences of the game and all the historical facts around it, but we said to them that they had to play football.
”For us and our fans, it was a special day to wrap up the title. I’m really pleased with how the players coped with that pressure and expectancy.
“There won’t be too many atmospheres like there was today around the world. It was a real special atmosphere and it was great that we could make our supporters happy.”
* READ the full inside story of Celtic’s extraordinary 2017/18 championship triumph – and FIFTY other title successes – in ‘CELTIC: 50 Flags Plus One’ on sale now in CQN’s special Christmas sale. Just click below.
