Celtic picked up a confident victory at home to Hibernian in the Scottish Premiership on Wednesday night, winning by a 4-1 margin.
The Bhoys were on the road to the three points early with a Hyeongyu Oh goal within five minutes.
Matt O’Riley added to the advantage before half-time before Luis Palma scored a penalty in the 51st minute and Oh netted his second of the night before the hour.
Hibs did score a consolation through Christian Doidge in the 72nd but the game was over as a contest by that point.
What are the big talking points coming out of the encounter? Here are three of ours…
Brendan Rodgers attacking call pays off
Eyebrows were raised when Kyogo Furuhashi wasn’t in the starting eleven this evening but as the manager explained before kick-off, Celtic have a lot of games during this period and this was a good match to rest him.
Oh was a threat throughout his time on the pitch and has done his chances of more minutes no harm at all with a double – taking his goal tally for the season to five for the season.
It’s heartening for the manager to know he can give Kyogo some time out of the team and keep him fresh on occasion, able to rely on his South Korean teammate to fill in.
Tomoki Iwata brings balance to Celtic
Tomoki Iwata made his first start since the Scottish Cup Final in June and brought a nice balance to the Celtic midfield, allowing Callum McGregor a freer role in support of Matt O’Riley and the rest of the attack.
McGregor has looked a little laboured in that holding midfield role this season and Iwata was a solid performer. Celtic were undoubtedly more functional in the central areas than they have been in recent weeks.
The Japanese star has had injury and fitness issues this season but now looks ready to stake a claim as a regular starter. He brought out a different side to the captain and can hopefully find consistency over the coming matches.
Luis Palma shines again
It was a good night for Honduran winger Luis Palma who registered another goal and another assist in a Celtic shirt this season.
He was a creative force throughout the 90 minutes and set up three chances for his teammates in total. Also getting stuck in defensively to win the ball back, with four tackles, he was hard-working on the other side of the ball which is always great to see.
Palma wasn’t at his best in the recent home draw against Motherwell but looked much more like himself this evening and it bodes well for a busy upcoming schedule. He also got back on track with his penalty-taking with a confident strike past David Marshall.
In other news, Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers makes his relationship with Dermot Desmond clear.
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