Chris Sutton has been left singing the praises of Nir Bitton, Daizen Maeda, and Jota after watching Celtic dismantle Livingston.
Celtic were in imperious form this afternoon as they downed the Lions with a massive 3-1 success. It moves the Hoops 3 points clear of Rangers once again in what’s becoming a pulsating title-race.
Today was always going to be a massive test of our title credentials given we hadn’t managed to win at Livingston since their promotion back in 2017/18. And after watching the convincing today, Sutton had the following to say on a huge day for the club and manager:
The win marks Ange’s first win over Livingston in the league after suffering a defeat at the Tony Macaroni Arena in September and a draw at Parkhead a month later.
Goals from Daizen Maeda, an own goal from Nicky Devlin, and a James Forrest strike ensured the win and ensured Ange has now managed to beat every club in the Premiership at least once.
More importantly, however, it’s another massive step towards the title. Celtic can now enjoy an 8-day break before their next match – Dundee United away in the Scottish Cup.
Chris Sutton lauds 3 big Celtic performers today
It’s pleasing to see that Chris has chosen to pinpoint 3 of our top performers this afternoon. The truth is you couldn’t pick a poor one either in what feels like a big day for the club. Everyone performed to a high standard, and that was always going to be required to get maximum points here.
Absolutely nobody had Bitton down as a guaranteed starter. Not when you consider that the manager has been tinkering between the likes of Matt O’Riley, Reo Hatate, and Tom Rogic in his midfield.
Yet he proved to be the perfect option as he gave Celtic the perfect level of balance in the engine room. You dread to think how today may have gone had Postecoglou left Bitton on the bench. This just looked like a masterstroke from the first minute onwards, and it’s no surprise to see Sutton come away with major praise for him.
We also managed to see an energetic performance with some end-product from Daizen Maeda. It felt like he needed his goal this afternoon, and he was heavily involved with the second given his positioning in the box. A big day for him as he looks to kickstart his Celtic career.
And what is there to say about Jota that hasn’t already been said? The young Portuguese talent was mercurial this afternoon and picked the right day to return to top form. It’s no wonder he’s been the main focus for us post-match. He was, by far, the most impactful player on the pitch.
But today was just big, there’s no other way to describe it. It was big for everyone, and Sutton is right to be full of praise for all mentioned in the tweet. In truth, if tweets weren’t only 280 characters, you could easily have included everyone.
In other news, 3 Celtic players back to their best but Jota stands out to smash Livi hoodoo
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