Celtic hit some good form at home to Dundee in the Scottish Premiership this afternoon, winning by a 3-0 scoreline to remain at the top of the table.
A David Turnbull penalty as well as Kyogo Furuhashi and Matt O’Riley strikes fired the Bhoys to the win, with all the goals coming in the second half period.
It was a strong showing to back up the derby success last time out and Celtic will now take confidence into Tuesday night’s match away to Feyenoord.
But what were the big takeaways and talking points from the afternoon? Here are three of ours…
Reo Hatate shows he’s ready to go
Hatate is only just coming back from an injury layoff but looks good to feature in the mid-week European clash after his impressive showing off the bench this afternoon.
He came into the match on the hour for David Turnbull and the Celtic performance notably improved. His vision, energy and passing were demonstrated, with the Bhoys moving through the gears to score two goals within seven minutes of his entrance.
Celtic will need him at his best in the Netherlands on Tuesday night so it’s great to see him motivated and out to prove a point. On this evidence, there’s a strong chance he will be named in Brendan Rodgers’ next starting eleven.
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Rodgers hands out three debuts
It was a big day for Nat Phillips, Luis Palma and Paulo Bernardo, all of whom made their debuts for the club this afternoon.
Phillips was actually named in the starting eleven and didn’t have the best of opening periods before being replaced at half-time. It’s unclear whether or not he has picked up an injury or fitness issue.
Palma was bright off the bench, getting half an hour under his belt. Meanwhile, Bernardo got his first taste of action for 17 minutes, replacing Matt O’Riley.
There’s no reason to make firm verdicts positively or negatively on their chances at Celtic, it’s far too early for that. But Rodgers will be delighted to get the chance to expose them to competitive minutes and we can expect to see much more of all of them over the coming weeks and months.
Warrior Kyogo continues hot streak
Kyogo Furuhashi was again vital to Celtic’s victory, hitting his fourth goal in six matches so far this season, as well as contributing to an assist.
At one point in the first half it looked like he may have to exit the match with an apparent shoulder problem, but he re-emerged to turn up the heat on Dundee and make a push for the three points.
Everyone will be hoping there’s no lingering shoulder concern. The fact he managed 69 minutes in total on the pitch would suggest everything is okay for Tuesday night.
He’s going to be huge at Feyenoord if Celtic have any chance of a positive result and the last thing we need is the Japanese star picking up a knock. Today though, he was superb again.
In other news, Neil Lennon offers a theory on Celtic European progress featuring Sevilla and Real Madrid.