Copyright scotsman
Celtic moved within seven points of league leaders Hearts as they ran out comfortable 4-0 winners against Kilmarnock in the Scottish Premiership on Sunday afternoon. Derek McInnes’ side dropped two points with a home draw against Dundee United and interim boss Martin O’Neill ensured his side took full advantage. Goals from Johnny Kenny (10), Kieran Tierney (51), Daizen Maeda (85), and Arne Engels (93) sealed a straightforward win for the reigning champions as Celtic, who still have a game in hand on their Tynecastle title rivals, closed the gap. As for Kilmarnock, a fifth successive defeat sees manager Stuart Kettlewell under increasing pressure ahead of the international break, with his side now just two points ahead of basement club Livingston. Following the game, we look at the key talking points from Celtic’s win against Kilmarnock: Has the Kyogo Furuhashi replacement that Celtic fans have been crying out for since January been under their noses the whole time? While it may be too soon to say just yet, Johnny Kenny is certainly making an argument for being the club’s new number nine. His opening goal against Kilmarnock was his fourth in his last four games, and he seems to be brimming with confidence since interim head coach O’Neill walked through the door. His 10th-minute goal at Parkhead was significantly less flashy than his header that opened the scoring against Rangers last week, but his range of goals, coupled with his instinctive ability to be in the right place at the right time, is a big plus for the reigning champions right now. Can he keep it up? He’ll save the club a lot of money in the upcoming transfer window if he does. Chants of 'sack the board' were prevalent throughout the game again, despite Celtic closing the gap on Hearts with a dominant performance over Kilmarnock. It's been a rollercoaster few weeks for supporters of the champions. Brendan Rodgers walking out on the club, Dermot Desmond’s explosive statement that accused the former boss of being ‘self-serving’, then a big Old Firm win, followed by a humbling in Europe. Celtic fans really haven’t been able to take a breath, let alone a moment of unity. Step forward, Kieran Tierney. The returning hero has had a rollercoaster start to the season himself. Unable to complete 90 minutes at the beginning of the season, there were some concerns that the Scotland international had returned from Arsenal as damaged goods due to a succession of injuries during his time in North London. Introduced to the action early in the first-half, it was his long-range strike that sealed all three points for the hosts, 2,837 days on from his last goal for the club. A fine strike from distance, a lulled Parkhead immediately burst into a chant to honour the fan favourite and - for just a split second - Celtic had unity. They’ll need more of that in the coming weeks and months ahead in order to claw their way back to the top of the Scottish Premiership. What is happening at Celtic this season? Every side suffers with injuries at points throughout the campaign, but have they ran over a black cat recently? Perhaps broken a mirror? The Hoops seem to be picking up injuries game by game. During the midweek defeat to FC Midtjylland in the Europa League, youngster Callum Osmand was ruled out for weeks with a hamstring injury. Celtic are already without their best two defenders in Cameron Carter-Vickers (Achilles) and Alistair Johnston (recurrence of a hamstring injury). Kelechi Iheanacho is still out with a hamstring problem, while Jota hasn’t featured this season due to an ACL injury he picked up last April. A familiar groan was heard midway through the first-half when Marcelo Saracchi appeared to pull up while attempting a cross and was forced off injured. The Uruguayan left-back was able to limp off himself, shooing away the stretcher that had appeared on the touchline as he lay on Parkhead turf, and the club will hope it is nothing too serious. Alongside their current absentees, the Glasgow giants have had to be without Daizen Maeda, Reo Hatate, Auston Trusty, Paulo Bernardo, and Anthony Ralston at points this season. The squad is being tested with injuries, and Celtic will hope their luck on that front can turn soon. The biggest surprise in the Celtic starting XI was the inclusion of Jahmai Simpson-Pusey. Signed during the summer on a season-long loan deal from Manchester City, the 20-year-old has been missing in action ever since his arrival. Failing to play a minute of football under the previous head coach, and the man who brought him to the club had described him as an “important and quality” addition, but the youngster had been given zero opportunity to prove it, akin to that of fellow summer signing Osmand. However, it appears O’Neill is willing to give youth a chance. While his hamstring injury has him sidelined for the foreseeable future, Osmand’s goal in last week’s 3-1 Premier Sports Cup win over Rangers will give him confidence that he can make his mark at Celtic when he returns to fitness. In the case of Simpson-Pusey, he’ll feel very similar. He won’t have many more comfortable afternoons than he did against Kilmarnock on Sunday, but his steady performance at right-back will show O’Neill - or whoever the next manager will be - that he can be an option in the months to come. The squad is already stretched due to the various injuries Celtic have picked up in the last few weeks, and these youngsters have proven they can be trusted to perform when needed for the Hoops. Stuart Kettlewell’s side have now lost five consecutive league games and find themselves just two points from the bottom of the table. While they had some chances on the break, even hitting the bar in the first-half, Kilmarnock look like a side devoid of confidence all across the park. It was a curious start to the campaign for Kettlewell, who had suffered just one defeat in his opening five league games. For those with a glass half full, Kettlewell had shown signs of promise early in the campaign. However, those with a glass half empty had - rather correctly - pointed out that four of those five games were draws, and that turning some of those results into wins would be what separated the wheat from the chaff. With just two wins in their opening 12 games, though, things are looking bleak. While Celtic away is perhaps not the place many would expect Killie to end their recent rut, confidence is a fragile thing. Suddenly, a heap of pressure is on the home clash with Motherwell after the international break. Sign up to The Scotsman’s daily football newsletter to get unrivalled Scottish football news and analysis - subscribe for free here.
