Celtic player ratings vs Cluj (H)

Celtic gained a measure of revenge for their Champions League exit to Cluj by comfortably defeating the Romanian side 2-0 in the Europa League on Thursday night.

The Hoops dominated the game from start to finish. After Christopher Jullien twice came close with headers, Odsonne Edouard opened the scoring when he headed home Boli Bolingoli’s cross.

The Hoops extended their lead in the second-half when Mohamed Elyounoussi’s shot was defected into the back of the net.

Overall it was a good night for the Hoops, who can look forward to a huge double header with Lazio with plenty of confidence.

Here are how the players rated against Cluj:

Fraser Forster – 7

Didn’t have a lot to do in the game as Celtic had most of the ball. However, he did pull off a good second-half save to deny Billel Omrani. Will be pleased to get his first European clean sheet of the season. He looked cool and calm whenever he was called into action.

Hatem Abd Elhamed – 7

Returned to the team and didn’t put a foot wrong in defence. Was solid in the challenge. Didn’t get forward that often in comparison to Boli Bolingoli, but perhaps that was by design. Still, he wasn’t overtly troubled by the Cluj attack in another good performance.

Kristoffer Ajer – 7

A much improved performance than we have seen in recent weeks from the defender. Did the simple things well, and didn’t try to overplay at any time. His partnership with Christopher Jullien looked rock solid, also got forward on occasion a few times. Good to see that he was back to his best.

Christopher Jullien – 8

Another excellent display from the centre-back, who is quickly becoming one of Celtic’s most important players. The only downside is that he didn’t find the back of the net – he came very close with two headers in the first-half. However, his job is to defend, and he did that with aplomb.

Boli Bolingoli – 8

It is hard to believe that we are watching the same player who struggled so badly at the start of his Celtic career. Bolingoli turned in possibly his best performance yet against Cluj. His cross for Odsonne Edouard’s goal was a thing of beauty. He is showing on a regular basis why Neil Lennon was so keen to bring the player to the club.

Scott Brown – 7

The type of game that the Hoops captain loves. He made sure that Celtic controlled the middle of the park, unlike the meeting between the teams in August. Was involved in a few scuffles with Cluj but almost always managed to come out on top, like he has done for so many years at Celtic.

(ANDY BUCHANAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Callum McGregor – 7

Player a lot better in the middle of the park than he did at left-back, unsurprisingly. A far better performance from McGregor than we have seen in recent weeks, as he helped the Hoops dominate the midfield area. He might have played a lot of football in the past year, but you wouldn’t have known that against Cluj.

James Forrest – 6

Not as effective as he has been on many other occasions for the Hoops. He still had a decent game, but for once the final ball wasn’t always his best, despite getting into good positions for the side. Still, he is allowed a rare off-day, and he still played well enough overall for Celtic.

Ryan Christie – 7

Another very good performance from the Hoops midfielder. Caused Cluj plenty of problems, and was full of action and energy. Perhaps the only disappointment is that he didn’t add to his goal tally for the season. Other than that, he showed why he is so important to the team with a fine display.

Mohamed Elyounoussi – 8

Perhaps a gamble to start the loanee but it paid off. He worked very hard for the team all night, and was rewarded with his first goal for the Hoops. His attacking qualities will have impressed the Hoops fans, and perhaps now it is time for an extended run in the team for the player.