Basking in the glow of another Premiership title success, Celtic delivered a performance of champions to sweep Aberdeen aside.
There were two for Kyogo, another two for Oh Hyeon-Gyu and a rare Carl Starfelt goal as Ange Postecoglou’s side teed their fans up for a party that lasted long into the Glasgow night. Having stuttered along since being confirmed as back-to-back league winners, Celtic looked determined to sign off in style following another hugely successful top-flight campaign.
Theirs was a swaggering display against an Aberdeen team who had come to the west coast with nothing left to play for, their place in Europe already confirmed for next season. For Postecoglou and his players, this was the perfect way to prepare for next week’s Scottish Cup final, albeit they will anxious await news on injuries to Kyogo Furuhashi and Alistair Johnston.
Here are five talking points from Celtic Park.
‘Stand on the shoulders of giants’
Those were the words which awaited the Celtic players as they emerged from the tunnel as champions, an ambitious full-stadium tifo taking shape in the minutes before kick-off. Either side of the message were giant likenesses of Jock Stein and Willie Maley looking down on the pitch.
Midway between each stood Postecoglou, a man approaching a degree of reverence that, while it will never quite match that of Stein, is ensuring it will be one day be him who is enshrined around Celtic Park. What, if anything, transpires amid reported interest in his services from Tottenham Hotspur remains to be seen, but his hero status around these parts is likely to endure regardless.
Champions back at it
This was much more like the Celtic we’ve grown accustomed to seeing; an incisive, high tempo, clinical performance that yielded two deserved first-half goals. It was clear the understandable lethargy which had kicked in post-title win was nowhere to be seen when Matt O’Riley broke from behind the halfway line to press Aberdeen keeper Kelle Roos.
It was though he and his team-mates had grown fed-up of people asking where their edge has gone these last few weeks, even though the biggest prize of all had already been banked. The return of Alistair Johnston added solidity and energy, the defender fit once more after taking a sore one in the Scottish Cup semi-final win over Rangers.
In midfield, Callum McGregor, Reo Hatate and Matt O’Riley dominated their Aberdeen counterparts. The Dons enjoyed some decent possession and territory in the opening stages that suggested the engine room battle could be an even one, but as the opening half wore on Celtic’s middle trio took over.
The opening goal will have pleased Postecoglou no end. McGregor’s line-breaking pass found Greg Taylor drifting in off the left-flank, and Kyogo was already on his bike by the time the full-back turned. His pass into the striker was a simple one, and he then checked back deftly before lashing into Roos’ top corner.
His second was the archetypal poacher’s finish, following up McGregor’s shot which Roos failed to deal with, the ball spilling into Kyogo’s path for the easiest of tap-ins. It was one-way traffic from there on, and Starfelt heading in O’Riley’s corner kickstarted the party.
And by the time sub Oh nodded home Jota’s clipped cross, the celebrations were already well under way. His second, tapped in after Jota’s free-kick crashed against the bar, put the gloss on a dominant afternoon.
Dons lacking edge
With their goal of wrapping up third place already achieved, it was Aberdeen’s turn to look like a team playing without jeopardy. The Dons weren’t terribly, by any means, but their performance was lacking a certain edge and urgency at times.
Joe Hart is no stranger to quiet days at Celtic Park, but his greatest exertions in the second half were scurrying around clearing the remnants of the pre-match tifo from the turf. Aberdeen simply gave Celtic very little to worry about, so pre-occupied were they with a prolonged rearguard action, one that gradually disintegrated as time wore on.
There was also some potential farewells among their ranks, too, and the hug shared between Robson and Ross McCrorie suggested his widely expected transfer to Bristol City is indeed a goer.
Injury concerns
Those two goals ensured Kyogo’s tally for the season rose to 33, but whether he gets the chance to increase it further in next weekend’s Scottish Cup final is now a source of doubt. The striker came off worst in a 50-50 with Roos shortly after the restart, an injury he was not able to run off, despite his best efforts.
It could mean an anxious wait in store for Celtic fans as the severity of the problem is assessed, but there is generally greater scope for optimism when a player succumbs to an impact injury, which this was. Had it been a muscle injury for the Japanese star, his Hampden prospects would have reduced dramatically.
The returning Johnston was also forced off with an issue, another concern given he has already missed a few weeks of action. Oh and Anthony Ralston were called upon to replace them, and could find themselves in from the start at Hampden.
Swansong for some?
Postecoglou himself admitted on Friday that the reality is Celtic will probably not be able to retain their best players this summer. That is the unfortunate price of success, where richer clubs inevitably circle looking to prise away the premier talent.
It’s impossible to say for certain at this stage, but the likelihood is that some in green and white graced the Celtic Park turf for the final time. Whoever goes will, of course, be replaced by a new name, and it’s a source of comfort for Celtic fans that Postecoglou has been consistently able to plug gaps with shrewd recruitment. How that pans out over the months to come will again be fascinating.
And there are those whose careers at the club may be reaching a natural conclusion. A second-half run out for James Forrest, a peripheral figure at best this season, had the slight hint of a possible farewell, one that comes in the wake of the announcement of his testimonial against Athletic Club during the summer.
