Celtic have moved level on points with Hearts after they brushed aside Falkirk in the Celtic Park sun.
After pouncing on a goalkeeper mistake against St Mirren, Daizen Maeda did the same by closing down Keelan Adams, who’s attempted clearance bounced off the forward, allowing him to run in on goal and expertly find the back of the net past Nicky Hogarth, who was in no man’s land.
Maeda then turned from goalscorer to provider as his pressing helped open up a spot for Kieran Tierney to double the Hoops’ lead with a thunderous strike and have them in control for the first 45.
Kyrell Wilson pulled a goal back with a quality finish and it looked as if it would be a nervy finish before Maeda made sure of the three points with a composed finish and move the Hoops level on points with Hearts.
Who was your star player against Falkirk?
Celtic player ratings
Viljami Sinisalo – 6
Couldn’t do anything about that wonderstrike from the Falkirk striker but he does need to improve on his distribution. Sinisalo’s kicking off from the floor is the main issue, with several of those going out for a throw-in or failing to find their man.
Anthony Ralston – 7
Had been one of the better players on the pitch but was at fault for the goal that got Falkirk back into the game. O’Neill has definitely managed to find a tune out of him.
Auston Trusty – 6
Did the job and kept an in-form Barney Stewart quiet. Can’t complain at that.
Liam Scales – 6
Echo the same thought for Scales’ performance as I did when assessing Trusty.
Kieran Tierney – 7
Tierney has officially had the best-scoring season of his career with his first-half strike. Six goals and 11 assists this campaign proves how important he has been for the team. Another great performance and he will continue to have a huge part to play in the run-in.
Callum McGregor (C) – 6
Did his job well defensively and provided a springboard to shift from defence into attack with some progressive carries with the ball. McGregor also moved the ball quicker than they have in recent weeks.
Arne Engels – 5
Three points in the Saturday night sun… what are we saying about that?
Was okay. Didn’t do anything outstanding of note throughout the game. Set pieces did look a lot better though.
Benjamin Nygren – 5
So infuriating to watch at times as his final ball doesn’t always manage to come off. Not his best game but his run of scoring in every fixture against Falkirk this season comes to an end.
James Forrest – 5
Not as lively as his impact off the bench against St Mirren. He looked better on the right but once he was switched to the left to accommodate Yang, he lost his spark a bit.
Daizen Maeda – 9
His best performance of the season. Both goals in the first half came from his pressing and he looked like a player up for the occasion going into the business end of the season. The second produced a level of composure we haven’t seen from him in some time. Maeda has goals in consecutive games after going on a 17-match run without hitting the back of the net. Well done Daizen.
Hyunjun Yang – 5
There is no in-between with Yang. He’s either too erratic with the ball offensively or too slow to get it away defensively. He looked out of place on the left wing but, even when swapped over to his favoured side, it didn’t make too much difference.
Substitutes
Sebastian Tounekti – 6
Impressed on the right-hand side when he came off the bench. Has lost his place in the starting XI but he did very well for Maeda’s second goal. Always plays better off the bench.
Marcelo Saracchi – 5
Wilson gave him a bit of trouble on the wing when he came on but provided some fresh legs.
Alistair Johnston – 7
Fantastic to see Alistair Johnston back on the pitch. Hopefully there are no more injuries and he can have a role to play in these final five games this season.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – 6
Kept things ticking over when he came on and provided some extra experience as a direct replacement for McGregor.
Kelechi Iheanacho – 5
Didn’t hit the ground running when he came on. Struggled with his first touch but equally wasn’t getting much service.
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