Celtic were back in action this evening following December’s derby defeat against Rangers. The reigning champions started off their Scottish Cup run at Celtic Park versus the third tier side Airdrieonians F.C. It was a comfortable outing for the Hoops even though the minnows fought their heart out. Celtic claimed a 3-0 victory to progress to the next round of the competition.
Below are the Celtic players rated in their win against Airdrieonians F.C.
Scott Bain: 7
Was handed a start in place of veteran Craig Gordon and made an array of crucial saves towards the end of the first half. A well deserved clean sheet for the Scotsman.
Anthony Ralston: 7
The youngster did well defensively, made some timely runs forward and combined well with Forrest occasionally down the right flank.
Dedryck Boyata: 8
Made his presence known in the heart of the Celtic defence. Played his part in Sinclair’s second and also cut open the visitors backline with a sublime through ball which led to the substitute Weah scoring on his debut.
Filip Benkovic: 7.5
Showed great aerial and physical presence. Built up moves from the deep with his great passing skills. There was not much pressure from the minnows, yet he maintained his composure and concentration at the back.
Emilio Izaguirre: 8
The veteran left-back won a spot-kick around the half-hour mark. Kept on making runs using the width of the pitch and whipped in crosses persistently to trouble the opponents.
Scott Brown: 7
The skipper had control over the midfield as he switched it down the flanks to widen the gap between Airdrieonians’ defensive set-up. Was replaced by Nir Bitton late in the game who appeared in the Hoops’ colours after a long injury layoff.
Callum McGregor: 7.5
The Scotsman forced David Hutton to make an excellent stop in Airdrieonians goal. Orchestrated the attacking flow from the middle of the park and spent his time high up the pitch due to little pressure from the opponents.
James Forrest: 7
The Scotsman created a few chances but failed to hit the net despite coming close. Played a smart one-two with Burke but struck inches wide off the target. Was replaced by youngster Michael Johnston midway through the second half.
Ryan Christie: 7.5
Christie, too, was lively as a midfield attacker and combined well with his fellow attackers to create space in the visitors’ backline. Showed great control over the ball and dictated the tempo from a central role.
Scott Sinclair: 8.5
Missed the spot-kick but scored twice exhibiting his great goal-poaching instinct. Made all the difference between these two sides before making way for new recruit Timothy Weah.
Oliver Burke: 7
Burke was lively as a centre-forward and played his part in Sinclair’s first goal of the game. The keeper denied his effort, but the Englishman reacted sharply to tap it over the line.
Substitutes
Michael Johnston: 6.5
Impressed with his mazy runs, swift skills and tricky moves from the wide.
Timothy Weah: 7
A memorable debut for the PSG loanee as he showed good pace to pick up Boyata’s through ball and slotted it home to make it 3-0 in the closing moments of the game.
Nir Bitton: 6
Important game-time for the midfielder who returned to action after a prolonged injury nightmare.
