Celtic goalkeeper Joe Hart has held his hands up and apologised on Instagram for his red card in today’s victory over Livingston.
The veteran shot-stopper wiped out Mohammed Sangare after the Livi player broke free from the Bhoys defensive line, attempting to latch on to a direct ball over the top.
Hart was covering the space, but failed to win the ball and clearly took Sangare out of the game and prevented a goalscoring opportunity. Celtic went down to ten men but eventually won out 3-0 thanks to goals from Reo Hatate, Matt O’Riley and Daizen Maeda.
Posting on the social media site this evening, Hart said: “What a team performance Celtic. 💚🍀 Apologies for my red card but team and support showed what they are about… top, top mentality. 🍀”
Thousands of fans have shown their appreciation for the goalkeeper in response, with teammates such as Greg Taylor and Gustaf Lagerbielke also making it clear they are a fan of the Englishman in the comments.
Maeda summed up his feelings by stating: “We are family.”
It’s been a week to forget for Hart, who was also culpable in conceding the opening goal against Feyenoord on Tuesday night – something he also took public responsibility for.
Scott Bain now looks likely to take his place as he serves a suspension against Motherwell, but Rodgers remains a believer in Hart and it would be surprising if he wasn’t right back in the team for the visit of Lazio.
There are clearly long-term considerations regarding the goalkeeping position but Hart is still the best of those available until the next transfer window and perhaps until the end of the season.
The manager will be keen to ensure his confidence levels remain high, despite these recent setbacks. From the looks of it, he still has the backing of the dressing room too, as well as a large section of the support.
In other news, Brendan Rodgers explains incident with Livingston security in wake of Celtic win.
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