Super sub Sinclair makes dream start

Hearts vs Celtic match report




1 vs 2


Sunday 7th August 2016
Ladbrokes Premiership: Round 1
Tynecastle Stadium
Edinburgh


IT was a case of 'Champions 2-1 Cheats' on the opening weekend of the Ladbrokes Premiership season as Brendan Rodgers' men got off to the perfect start with 3 points at Tynecastle. Gorgie is often a difficult place to go and get a result at the best of times so to grind out a win at this stage of the season is hopefully a sign of things to come for Celtic.

The game was played out in a fashion which many might have expected prior. Fast and furious. In total, referee John Beaton handed out a total of 10 yellow cards and it was a minor miracle in the end that no side ended up down a man or two. The Celtic XI was similar to that which started in the mid-week qualifier. Penalty hero Moussa Dembele however was rewarded with a start up top alongside Leigh Griffiths once again and fellow new signing Kolo Toure also came in to deliver an outstanding performance.

The Hoops made a lightning quick start to the match and opened the scoring through eventual man of the match James Forrest, a player who just a few months ago, seemed a lost cause. Since Rodgers' arrival however he has been thrust back into the side and despite there still being a long way to go until he wins back many Celtic fans, he has been in good form at the start of the season. His goal was an excellent finish, despite it having a slight touch of controversy to it. Picking the ball up just past the halfway line, he played the ball into Callum McGregor on the right hand side of the park before making an off the ball run to the edge of the box. McGregor duly found him once again and Forrest curled a shot with his weaker left foot into the bottom corner from 18 yards. At the time of the shot being taken however, Stuart Armstrong could possibly be considered to have been in an offside position. Nevertheless, the goal stood.

Despite the good start, Hearts made life very difficult for the Champions. A high tempo, physical, pressing game was the style Neilson's men adopted for much of the match, hence the reason for their 7 yellow cards. The likes of Kieran Tierney and Leigh Griffiths were targeted throughout. They recovered well from going a goal down and former Celt Tony Watt missed a great opportunity to grab what would have been a headline writing equaliser mid-way through the half. Celtic had further chances themselves through both Forrest once again and Griffiths but were unable to capitalise. After an end to end first half hour, the equaliser eventually came on the 34th minute and it is certain to be a talking point in the coming week.

After a poor Eoghan O'Connell clearance, the ball was sent up in the air on the edge of the Celtic box. After a quick bit of play, the ball broke just inside the penalty area and as Jamie Walker made a play for it, Kieran Tierney was deemed to have clipped him. Referee John Beaton is sure to have a red face after he watches the replays on Sportscene tonight, however, as there was absolutely zero contact on Walker. It was a shocking decision and left Celtic feeling incredibly hard done by. The reaction from Sky pundit and fomer Celt, Andy Walker, was particularly bemusing as he more or less justified the fact that his name sake had cheated. Moussa Dembele was then denied a quick reply after Hamilton made a good stop in the Hearts goal before Griffiths' follow up was brilliantly cleared off the line by Igor Rossi.

They say in football however that these things often tend to even themselves out. This was to be the case in the 2nd half as after a long period in which Celtic were second best, the winner came. Rodgers and Celtic fans will no doubt be delighted at the fact super-sub Sinclair was the man to grab it. After only officially being unveiled as a Celtic player this morning, the £4m signing from Aston Villa was immediately named on the bench and was thrust into the cauldron-like atmosphere just after the hour mark. After struggling to really make a significant impact in his first 20 minutes on the park, Sinclair done what all quality players do on 81 minutes and grabbed a tidy goal out of nowhere.

It was counter attacking 101 from Celtic as after soaking up a sustained piece of Hearts pressure, Sinclair broke away and played in Leigh Griffiths wide left. The 40-goal man from last season drove at the Hearts defence and his pace was enough to beat two players, before he curled in a beautiful ball to the penalty spot where Sinclair was waiting to slide home. It was a brilliant finish and move from the Champions and proved why Rodgers has been so desperate to add some more much needed pace to the side.


Sinclair slots home the winner

With only 10 minutes or so left, Celtic may have been expecting a Hearts onslaught as they pushed for a second equaliser. Rodgers showed his tactical flexibility once again as he changed the side's formation for the second time in the match, bringing on Saidy Janko to add more defensive stability. Despite threatening once or twice, however, Hearts were unable to really create that one clear cut chance.

As the final whistle blew, I'm sure more than a few Celtic fans blew a sigh of relief themselves. It was a terrific win and the side showed great character, as Brendan himself would say. However Hearts did threaten throughout and in fairness will feel unlucky not have at least taken a point. In the end though, Celtic did what champions have to do and sometimes these sort of wins are often all the more satisfying. With the Hoops opening 5 games or so including matches against all 3 of their closest rivals this season, grabbing a win here was just the start the Bhoys would have hoped for. Next up on the agenda is Motherwell in the League Cup on Wednesday night.