Celtic prepared for Tuesday’s monumentally important trip to Rotterdam in good fashion as they brushed aside Tony Docherty’s Dundee 3-0 at Celtic Park yesterday.
Fans expected the Hoops to build upon an impressive and gutsy performance at Ibrox, a game which seems to have restored some confidence and life back into Brendan Rodgers’ team. However, onlookers may have been feeling a sense of déjà vu when the Hoops went into half-time having failed to score despite controlling the first 45. The second period told a different story, with a more dynamic performance earning the home side all three points.
Joe Hart – 6
The Celtic stopper had a very quiet game as you might have expected, but when called upon, Hart produced the goods. His best moment of the game was a fantastic save from Luke McCowan’s powerful close-range effort.
Alistair Johnston – 7
The Canadian contributed well to the game, both going forward and defensively. He showed good tenacity in helping to win the ball back for the move that eventually led to Kyogo’s goal and Celtic’s second of the game. He was also perhaps unlucky not to be on the scoresheet after a few missed opportunities including a shot that cracked off the crossbar.
Nat Phillips – 6
The Liverpool loanee looked a solid and composed figure in his first 45 minutes in a Celtic shirt. Whilst not having much to do against a Dundee side that didn’t threaten much, Phillips showed some promise with the ball at his feet.
Liam Scales – 7
It would have been harsh to drop Scales after a top-drawer performance at Ibrox and he repaid the manager’s faith in him as he continued to impress against Dundee. Scales showed an impressive range of passing and perhaps could have had an assist had Daizen Maeda not strayed marginally offside.
Greg Taylor – 6
This was one of Tayloir’s better performances as he linked up well with Maeda down the left-hand side. However, his defensive work was limited as the visitors didn’t offer much.
Callum McGregor – 7
McGregor continued his recent good form with Celtic & Scotland and looked his usual consistent self against Dundee. He also provided a phenomenal assist fro Kyogo’s goal as he played a brilliant looped ball over the defence for Kyogo to head home.
David Turnbull – 7
Turnbull got involved well in a lot of Celtic’s attacking moves, often laying off passes for the home side’s wide men to run in behind. He eventually won and converted the penalty that opened the scoring for Celtic.
Matt O’Riley – 8
The Dane turned on the style in the second-half as a combination of himself and Alistair Johnston won the ball back that allowed for Kyogo’s goal. O’Riley went on to add a goal and Celtic’s third as he linked up with Kyogo and hammered home his third strike of the season.
Daizen Maeda – 7
Maeda had the lion’s share of Celtic’s chances in the first-half, having a goal chopped off by VAR and failing to find the net from close-range. Maeda was his usual self as he was involved in everything going forward for Celtic.
Kyogo Furuhashi – 8
The Japanese forward was heavily involved in the second-half, scoring a great header for Celtic’s second then linking up well with O’Riley for the third.
Yang Hyun-jun – 7
Yang shone in his chance to impress following Liel Abada’s injury, as his pace and trickery caused all sorts of problems for the Dundee backline.
Substitutes:
Gustaf Lagerbielke – 6
The Swede replaced Nat Phillips at half-time and put up a solid second-half display.
Reo Hatate – 7
The Japanese playmaker returned from injury and both the energy levels and general quality of play in the final third instantly improved with him on the park for the final 30 minutes.
Luis Palma – 6
The Honduran didn’t have much to do after replacing Yang with half-an-hour to go.
Oh Hyeon-gyu – 6
Came on for player-of-the-match Kyogo and allowed Celtic to try something different in the final third with his height and power.
Paulo Bernardo – 6
The Portuguese got 17 minutes on the park but didn’t have much to do after replacing Matt O’Riley. More minutes will surely be coming in the future for the midfielder.
JAMES MCKENZIE // Follow James HERE
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