Premier Sports Cup

Last 16 Knockout Phase

Sunday, August 15, 2021

Celtic Park, Glasgow

CELTIC…

(Edouard 29, Welsh 34, Furuhashi 63)

HEARTS…

(Boyce pen 57, McEneff 92)

An electrifying first-half performance from Celtic visibly sapped the energy from Hearts and proved what a difference a fortnight makes as the Paradise crowd were given a perfect illustration of Ange Postecoglou’s vision for his side.

Coming soon after the 2-1 defeat at Tynecastle just two weeks earlier in the first domestic game of the season, the difference was night and day as the previous winners just weren’t at the races in a first-half in which Celtic just pressed, and pressed and pressed.

The pressure paid off with goals from Odsonne Edouard and Stephen Welsh, and Kyogo Furuhashi added a third after the break while a spot-kick and last-minute goal put some shine on the result for the vistors.

Despite the incessant pressure and a clutch of scoring opportunities and half-chances, it took the Hoops until just before the half-hour mark to finally open the scoring – with three recent scorers involved in the move.

Kyogo took the ball down the left before switching play to the right where James Forrest lay in wait. The winger slotted the ball back into the danger area where Edouard fired home the opener and it was no more than the Hoops or the Celtic Park crowd deserved.

Within five minutes of the opener, Celtic doubled their score from one of a raft of corner kicks won during the game as Welsh headed home No.2 to add to the tally soon after coming close earlier on from another David Turnbull corner when he got down low to head just over at the near post.

At this stage Hearts were encamped in their own box as Joe Hart in the Celtic goals barely got a sniff of the ball.

Celts walk on to quarter-finals with victory over Hearts