Celtic produced three goals in the second half to defeat Livingston 3-0 yesterday at the Tony Macaroni arena, as they moved back to the top of the Premiership table.
Following Rangers’ 3-1 win over Hibernian the day before, Brendan Rodgers’ side had to respond, with no room for error ahead of the mammoth Glasgow Derby clash a week later. Despite not getting the breakthrough until the 48th minute, the champions – led by John Kennedy on the touchline – looked well up for the fight. Kyogo Furuhashi worked Shamal George well in the Livingston goal, with his shot producing a good save from the former Liverpool academy player. This was to be the best chance of the match for both sides in the opening 45 minutes, in a half that had very little in terms of goalmouth action to trouble both George and Joe Hart.
Some good luck was granted to the visitors shortly after the restart, as Jamie Brandon bundled the ball through his own net from a Reo Hatate effort. Following a barrage of attacks on David Martindale’s side, their lead would be doubled through Paulo Bernardo, whose deflected shot from range hit the target. Matt O’Riley would seal the deal – and the points – 10 minutes from time, as his tame shot somehow managed to get past the Livingston goalkeeper, despite George getting a glove on it.
Using StatsBomb data, we at The Celtic Way bring you an in-depth match report like no other…
Race chart + key stats
The match stats made Celtic’s dominance clear in this game. Indeed, 75 per cent possession and 710 attempted passes highlight a team that seems to have mastered their plastic park problems – at least in Livingston.
Judging by the race chart – which takes into account xG totals on shots taken – Celtic were well in control during this game, especially in the second half when all three goals were scored. 0.14 total xG for Livingston illustrates just how toothless the home side was in an attacking sense, with Celtic outperforming their xG total of 1.64. This is probably down to the three goals that were taken all being ‘difficult’ – either to score statistically or track with data – with Brandon’s own goal registering 0.01 in this metric as an example. Celtic’s best chance was from a cross to Kyogo, which George saved at close range.
Using these statistics concerning xG and chance creation, Celtic were calculated as having a 78 per cent chance of winning this contest, with the next most likely scenario being a draw at 20 per cent. The hosts were only given two per cent concerning coming out on top.
Team line-ups, positions and passing
As has been the case for the vast majority of this season, Celtic lined up in their usual 4-3-3 formation. Kyogo led the line for Rodgers’ side, supplied by Daizen Maeda and Kuhn on each side. Tomoki Iwata’s deep position allowed for the returning Hatate to influence proceedings, who was assisted in his efforts by O’Riley. Cameron Carter-Vickers and Liam Scales operated in the heart of the defence, with Alistair Johnston and Greg Taylor providing width from the back. Hart assumed his usual spot in between the sticks for Celtic. The home side played in a 4-2-3-1 style, akin to Rodgers’ first spell at the club and Neil Lennon’s second tenure as manager.
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