Celtic dominated in Dingwall as they secured a comprehensive victory over Malky MacKay’s Ross County on Saturday.
An early red card for James Brown meant that it was one-way traffic from the tenth minute onwards, and Celtic were in complete control on the day, with Staggies keeper Ross Laidlaw playing a massive role in keeping the deficit down, even winning the Sky Sports Player of the Match award despite conceding three goals.
Rodgers made six changes to the team with one eye on the trip to Madrid to face Diego Simeone’s Atleti side on Tuesday, but did the players coming into the side take their chance?
Here are A Celtic State of Mind’s player ratings from the win over the Staggies.
Joe Hart – 7
It was a quiet afternoon for Hart, with the English stopper not having to make a single save over the course of the 90 minutes, but his passing was solid which earns him a 7.
Anthony Ralston – 7
The back-up option at right-back continues to be a steady and reliable deputy whenever he is called upon. His passing down the line was exceptional on the day, finding Daizen Maeda time and time again down the right-hand side.
Cameron Carter-Vickers – 7
Carter-Vickers was solid once again, providing another exceptional last-ditch tackle to deny County’s top scorer Simon Murray a shooting opportunity.
Liam Scales – 9
Scales was at the top of his game with one of his best performances of the season. He was unlucky not to be on the scoresheet after his well-placed volley was chopped off by VAR for a foul from Oh Hyeon-gyu, but his passing was crisp, consistently finding the attackers with long, diagonal balls and he assisted David Turnbull’s opening goal at the end of the first-half.
Greg Taylor – 7
Taylor was full of energy today, constantly bombing up and down the left-hand side as well as always providing an option for a pass in what was an assured display from the defender.
Paulo Bernardo – 6
The Benfica loanee spurned a couple of shooting opportunities, the most clear-cut chance being a header which was well-saved by Laidlaw from close-range. He almost netted from a free-kick and was eventually substituted with half an hour to go.
Callum McGregor – 7
McGregor didn’t have as much control over the game as he usually does against a rigid and organised County side, but he played his part well in linking defence to attack.
David Turnbull – 8
The midfielder scored a stunning opener deep into first-half stoppage time from outside the area and was involved in most of the chances Celtic created before his substitution following the hour-mark.
Daizen Maeda – 6
The Japanese winger was unlucky not to have an assist after he was deemed to be offside in the build-up to Oh’s goal that was chopped off by VAR. He had a quiet second-half before being subbed in the 62nd minute.
Oh Hyeon-gyu – 7
Oh was rewarded for his winning goal against St Mirren with a start on Saturday, and as previously mentioned, he was unlucky not to be on the scoresheet. Despite this, he was constantly offering an option in the final third and was causing problems for the Staggies backline.
Yang Hyun-jun – 7
There were worries of Yang potentially becoming an impact player from the bench, but he proved this writer wrong with an impressive display. He provided lots of energy that caused County problems, with his speed resulting in the red card shown to James Brown in the first-half.
Odin Thiago Holm – 5
The Norwegian was given the final half-hour and forced Laidlaw to make a terrific save to deny his long-range effort.
Kyogo Furuhashi – 5
Kyogo was given a rest today and perhaps could have scored when he was brought on, failing to convert after latching onto Scales’ flick.
Luis Palma – 7
The Honduran scored a goal of the season contender as he looped his effort over Laidlaw to make it 2-0. He wasn’t finished there as he provided the assist for James Forrest’s diving header and was unlucky perhaps not to have had another.
James Forrest – 6
Forrest scored Celtic’s third which ensured that he has scored for Celtic in 15 consecutive seasons.
JAMES MCKENZIE // Follow James HERE
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