Celtic were crowned the winners of the Scottish Premiership for the sixth time in a row, when they defeated Hearts 5-0 at the Tynecastle Stadium on Sunday.
The Bhoys were without leading goal-scorer Moussa Dembele, but the rest of the attack did not let his absence be felt, as Scott Sinclair opened the scoring in the 24th minute with a stunning effort. The summer signing doubled the lead three minutes later, lashing home from a lovely through ball by Patrick Roberts.
It was one-way traffic from then on and ten minutes into the second half, Stuart Armstrong continued his impressive goal-scoring run, striking a curling effort from the edge of the box to make it 3-0. Roberts wasn’t to be denied on his return to the starting XI either as the Manchester City loanee, who was involved in the first two goals, scored another scorching effort to rival Sinclair’s strike. And with less than ten minutes left on the clock, Sinclair completed his hat-trick with a ferocious penalty after he was brought down by Krystian Nowak.
Celtic have run amok over the whole of Scottish football this season and it was another vintage display against the Hearts to seal the title. With eight games left to play, the target for Brendan Rodgers and his men will be to stay unbeaten over the course of the complete season. Here is how the Celtic players fared on Sunday noon:
Celtic Player Ratings
Craig Gordon – 7/10
The home team had a bright start to the game and forced Gordon into a couple of smart saves early in the game. Showed his experience to come out on top in a one-on-one situation with the scoreline still at 0-0.
Mikael Lustig – 6/10
Looked troubled by the hostile atmosphere the Hearts’ fans created, targeting him. But made a few important clearances and provided decent support going forward.
Jozo Simunovic – 7/10
Another classy display at the back by the Croatian defender. Never really looked troubled by the Hearts’ attackers and enjoyed a comfortable outing.
Dedryck Boyata – 6/10
The former Manchester City defender looked pretty stagnant early in the game and had to be bailed out by his teammates. Improved with the game and was composed in the second period.
Kieran Tierney – 7/10
Put the Hearts defence under pressure each time he went on his trademark forward forays and was solid and steady when he was forced to defend. No wonder he is one of the most sought players in Europe.
Scott Brown – 7.5/10
The captain put in another majestic performance in the middle of the park. Displayed his full range of passing and showed great fight to win the ball back. Did not put a foot wrong.
Stuart Armstrong – 8/10
Continued his brilliant run of form, scoring in the fourth consecutive league game. Showed his array of passing and was excellent off the ball as well, putting in several important tackles and making some interceptions.
James Forrest – 6/10
A quiet night for the winger on the right-side. Sent in some decent crosses into the box but did not have the desired impact. Booked for a high challenge.
Callum McGregor – 6/10
The 23-year old was operating in the advanced central midfielder role and failed to impress. His shooting was off the mark, runs were poorly timed as well.
Scott Sinclair – 10/10
Opened the scoring with a scintillating effort, before doubling the lead three minutes later. Completed his hat-trick from the spot, after winning the penalty following a mesmerizing run. Continued his excellent form against Hearts, and now has six in three games against them. Also went past Dembele’s tally of 17 goals in the league. Amazing display.
Patrick Roberts – 8.5/10
Came into the lineup in the place of Moussa Dembele and wasn’t involved for the good lengths of the game. But delivered when it mattered, setting up the first and the second goals before getting himself on the scoresheet with a magical effort.
Substitutes
Gary Mackay-Steven – NA
Came on to replace Roberts for the last ten minutes.
Cristian Gamboa – NA
Replaced Mikael Lustig for the last ten minutes.
Kolo Toure – NA
Came on for Boyata in the 87th minute.