Celtic Player Ratings v Ross County

Celtic travelled to Dingwall on Sunday with the pressure firmly on them to regain their six point lead at the top of the Scottish Premiership. 

This coercion didn’t seem to phase Ange Postecoglou’s men as they secured a 2-0 win over Ross County. There were undoubtedly some nerves among the Celtic support towards the end of the match however they were banished when Jota doubled the Hoops’ lead on the eighty seventh minute. 

Here are my player ratings from the match. 

Joe Hart - 7/10

Joe Hart has been ever present between the sticks for Celtic throughout this campaign and that was no different today. The Englishman didn’t have much to do but was alert late on when he denied what could’ve been Ross County goal had the offside flag not been raised. 

Anthony Ralston - 7/10

After an injury to Josip Juranovic, Anthony Ralston will be expected to fill in at right back over the next few weeks. Today, the Scot done so amply, getting up and down the right hand side with ease. 

Cameron Carter-Vickers - 8/10

The Tottenham loanee took up his usual role at the heart of the Celtic defence in this one and helped his side to another clean sheet. There’s not much else to report on Carter-Vickers’ performance apart from the fact he was solid at the heart of the Celtic defence. 

Carl Starfelt - 8/10

He was sent off the last time Celtic took on Ross County in Dingwall however Carl Starfelt was vastly more well founded today. The Swede was immaculate on the ball and had a few chances in the opposition box, one of which was cleared off the line as Starfelt continues to search for his first Celtic goal.  

Greg Taylor - 8/10

The twenty four year old netted only his third career goal last time out against Rangers but couldn’t follow that up with another one today in spite of his speculative long range effort in the second half. Nonetheless, Greg Taylor put in an admirable display, giving his all as he charged up and down the left flank, displaying a sufficient attacking threat. 

Callum McGregor - 7/10

The Celtic captain took up his usual holding role in the Celtic midfield and didn’t seem to put a foot wrong as he controlled the game. Granted, he had a few wayward shots on goal however the overall effect McGregor has on the team when he plays, along with his leadership qualities, are invaluable. 

Reo Hatate - 6/10

Despite his midweek comments surrounding physical and emotional fatigue, Reo Hatate was given the nod this afternoon in the Celtic midfield. The Japanese was not over exuberant and kept it simple in the engine room as he racked up another seventy four minutes in green and white before he was replaced by David Turnbull. 

Matt O’Riley - 7/10

Matt O’Riley made an impact from the bench in last week’s Scottish Cup semi final and was awarded with a start today against Ross County. The Dane played numerous line breaking passes with his close control catching the eye. The battle he has with Tom Rogic for the advanced playmaker role in the Celtic side is a fierce one and it will be interesting to see which of the pair gets the nod in next week’s Glasgow Derby. 

Jota - 9/10

His form of late has not been particularly pleasing however Jota silenced his doubters with a goal and assist this afternoon. The Portuguese sent a sublime cross into the box which met the head of Kyogo for Celtic’s opener and he all but secured three points for his team late on when he showed great desire to rush in at the back post to convert. Jota played the full game today in a front three that is highly competitive for places. It will be intriguing to see what happens with the twenty three year old come the summer with Celtic possessing an option to buy in the loan deal with Benfica. 

Kyogo Furuhashi - 8/10

The Japanese frontman made his first start since December this afternoon, playing just over an hour. As ever, Kyogo was a significant goal threat and magnificently nodded home to give Celtic the lead twelve minutes in. The striker also had numerous chances which he spurned however after the match, manager Ange Postecoglou did admit he’s not fully up to speed with proceedings after spending a prolonged period on the sidelines. 

Daizen Maeda - 6/10

He had some nice moments of combination play with Kyogo Furuhashi on the left hand side and Maeda’s only big chance came in the first half when he forced a quick reaction save from Ross Laidlaw. The former Yokohama F. Marinos man appeared to be the most muted of the Celtic frontline this afternoon and was replaced by Liel Abada in the second half.  

Substitutes 

A trio of changes were made by Ange Postecoglou with twenty five minutes left of today’s game as Giorgos Giakoumakis, Liel Abada and Tom Rogic replaced all of Kyogo, Maeda and Matt O’Riley. 

It was Giakoumakis’ shot which ricocheted off the bar for Jota to follow in for Celtic’s second with Liel Abada being a constant threat on the right flank when he came on. Tom Rogic also wasn’t afraid to get involved in midfield with the Australian attempting a fair amount of ambitious passes as Celtic attempted to get the all-crucial second goal on the break. 

David Turnbull came on for the final fifteen minutes in place of Reo Hatate however the few shots he had on goal were off target.

The final of Celtic’s five changes saw James Forrest come on for the closing stages however the veteran winger didn’t have enough time even get a touch of the ball. 

What’s next?

After a crucial win over Ross County, focus for Celtic will be on next Sunday’s Glasgow Derby. 

The Hoops will host Rangers in front of a packed Celtic Park in a match which could all but wrap up the league title with three games to play, a phenomenal feat should the Bhoys be able to achieve it. 

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 for more Celtic and Scottish football content.