Celtic Player Ratings v Hibs


It was the biggest game for Celtic in over a year at Hampden on Sunday afternoon. The Hoops faced David Gray’s Hibernian in the Premier Sports Cup final and eventually came away with a vital, momentum building victory to give Ange Postecoglou his first trophy as Celtic manager. Let’s get into the player ratings from the match. 


Joe Hart - 8/10

The Englishman made a more than crucial save in stoppage time to deny Joe Newell and also stopped Kevin Nisbet one on one prior to that. Hart has been a superb signing for Celtic and the experienced keeper continues to make major saves for his team. 


Josip Juranovic - 7/10

Josip Juranovic proved his versatility yet again today for Celtic and had a thorough performance. The Croatian was characteristically neat and tidy and secured his first major honour as a Celtic player along with several of his teammates. 


Cameron Carter-Vickers - 8/10

Celtic’s American centre back played like he was a level above the rest today. Cameron Carter-Vickers was immense in my opinion and the buy option in his loan deal is one Celtic should thoroughly be considering taking up. 


Carl Starfelt - 6/10

The Swede had an extremely shaky display at the heart of the Celtic defence. Kevin Nisbet and Martin Boyle caused Starfelt several issues and the twenty six year old almost gave away a penalty late on. The centre back will be unavailable for Celtic against St. Mirren midweek and it could be for the best. 


Greg Taylor - 7/10

It appears Greg Taylor seems to be Ange Postecoglou’s preferred option at left back and the Scot put in another rigorous display today. Questions have been asked over Taylor’s ability however it is certain he provides Celtic with an adequate option. 


Callum McGregor - 8/10

Celtic’s captain lifted his maiden trophy wearing the armband. McGregor played his part in the game, setting up Kyogo for Celtic’s equaliser. The twenty eight year old was shifted further forward in midfield when David Turnbull was taken off through injury but McGregor didn’t let this get to his performance. 


David Turnbull - 5/10

It was exceedingly harsh on David Turnbull with the fact he had to be withdrawn on the twenty seventh minute. Today was a substantial chance for the Scot to dispose his ability on the big stage although injury eventually prevented him from doing so. 


Tom Rogic - 8/10

It was another big performance from Tom Rogic in a cup final. The Australian used his body to perfection and also played a sublime ball in behind the Hibs defence for what turned out to be Celtic’s winner. Rogic showed a quick frame of mind for his assist and possibly the biggest surprise was the face he played a full ninety minutes. 


Liel Abada - 6/10

The young Israeli winger had a fairly quiet game. Abada wasn’t heavily involved yet played the full match to help Celtic to victory. 


Kyogo Furuhashi - 9/10

Kyogo Furuhashi was the hero in the final for Celtic and he gets my man of the match award. His two goals were of optimum quality, particularly his second which turned out to be the winner. Kyogo controlled a wonderful Callum McGregor pass for his first and fired past Matt Macey. For his second, Kyogo was lively in behind to lob the keeper after a splendid Tom Rogic pass. The Japanese has been a key player for Celtic so far this season and this was emphasised with his performance today. Simply stunning. 


Mikey Johnston - 7/10

The twenty two year old shows signs of promise in flashes. Johnston was willing to take on players and did stay lively throughout his time on the pitch but just couldn’t match his play with the final ball or end product. You feel Johnston may have to begin to step up his game sooner rather than later or be frozen out. 


Substitutes 

In the Premier Sports Cup, teams are allowed to make five substitutes and Ange Postecoglou utilised four of them. Nir Bitton replaced the injured David Turnbull on twenty seven minutes and took up the holding role in midfield. The Israeli was average at best and misplaced some passes but was able to win several headers and duels. The other three players introduced were Anthony Ralston, Liam Scales and Owen Moffat. Particularly for the latter, it was a colossal moment due to the fact it was only his second Celtic senior appearance and it came in a cup final. The teenager was impressive and won a critical foul in stoppage time which helped Celtic to see out the game and win the cup. The other two substitutes, Liam Scales and Anthony Ralston, both took up the left back and right back positions respectively and were able to help Celtic to hold out for the win. 


After securing their first trophy of the Ange Postecoglou era, attention now turns to Wednesday night for Celtic. The Hoops need to keep up the pace with Rangers in the Scottish Premiership and will aim to do so in Paisley midweek. 


Thank you for reading this article. If you have any thoughts or opinions, leave a comment below. Also, don’t forget to follow me on Twitter @Josh_Footblog where re-Tweets, likes and follows are all greatly appreciated. 

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