Celtic supporters are already feeling reminiscent following another successful campaign at the club that resulted in Scottish Premiership glory.
Despite recording an impressive tally of 93 points, many will look back on this season and remember the spirit shown by Brendan Rodgers and his players, who had to overcome adversity to be crowned champions.
Nevertheless, winning is built into the DNA of this club, and key man Alistair Johnston has already signalled the group’s intention to build on their achievements come 2024/25.
For now, let’s take a look back at three results that defined Celtic’s title-winning success to inspire three in a row.
Celtic 2-1 Rangers – December 30th 2023
The 1-0 victory at Ibrox in September 2023 could’ve been included in this list, but given it was at an early stage in the season, the corresponding 2-1 win at Parkhead in late December edges in by a whisker.
In a strange set of circumstances, Celtic were five points clear of Rangers before kick-off, with their rivals having two games in hand due to their midweek clash against Ross County being called off in the lead-up to the showdown in Glasgow’s east end.
On reflection, claiming three points was a sliding doors moment in the Hoops’ season, as Paulo Bernardo and Kyogo Furuhashi struck to close out the year in style.
Losing or drawing would’ve put a different complexion on the Hoops’ title chances, though Rodgers got one over Philippe Clement for the first time. It certainly wasn’t the last.
Speaking post-match, the Irishman famously stated: “Over my two spells here I’ve worked against five Rangers managers. Every time, ‘Rangers were coming’. Every time, at some point. For me, it’s normal.”
Spoiler alert: the manager was proved right once again, but that will touched on again later in this article.
Motherwell 1-3 Celtic – February 25th 2024
The saying a game of two halves couldn’t be a more appropriate summary of events at Fir Park on February 25th, where Celtic recovered from a substandard first-half performance to secure a last-gasp victory at Motherwell.
Over the first 45 minutes, the Bhoys were disjointed, shaky at the back, and had almost no creative intuition. They ended up a goal down due to Blair Spittal’s strike just before the interval.
Rodgers needed a hero and found one in Adam Idah. He rose from the bench to turn the match on its head with a brace, with the second coming in stoppage time. Luis Palma added some polish to the scoreline moments later.
Why were these three points so significant? Celtic were minutes away from falling four points behind Rangers in the Scottish Premiership table and had put in a string of unconvincing performances in weeks previous, heightening pressure on the manager and his players.
Once again, Rodgers used his experience after the dramatic triumph to hit back at narratives that the title could be on its way elsewhere, telling the media: “There’s a story being written about this club, but we will write our own story.”
Rangers 3-3 Celtic – April 7th 2024
Celtic were denied a victory in stoppage time by a Rabbi Matondo equaliser at Ibrox on April 7th; however, the permutations of securing a 3-3 draw in front of no away supporters make it impossible to leave this one off the list.
Falling on matchday 32, losing would’ve put the Hoops five points behind their rivals with five matches left to play; nevertheless, gaining a point allowed Rodgers’ side to keep their destiny intact while having the advantage of facing Clement’s outfit again on home soil a month later.
Of course, Rangers dropped two calamitous results against Ross County and Dundee in their following two fixtures. On the flip side, Celtic moved into the ascendency, making the path to title success clear despite the Glasgow Derby in question being billed as the biggest clash for years north of the border.
In the end, the gap between Celtic and Rangers finished at eight points, reflecting the gulf between both clubs on the field this term.
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