The perfect day for Celtic revolved around the perfect hat-trick from Moussa Dembélé. With a header, left-foot shot and right-foot shot the 20-year-old etched his name into history as the first Celtic player to score three in an Old Firm fixture since 1973. Dembélé even had the audacity to set up another goal as Celtic routed their oldest foes. Eyebrows were raised when he chose Glasgow as a career stop during the summer. The striker, after all, had been linked with numerous Premier League clubs when showing promise at Fulham.
Brendan Rodgers, the Celtic manager, praised the approach as taken by Dembélé and his representative after initially sensing the coaxing of this player may be a long shot. On a sun-kissed afternoon, Dembélé’s decision making was fully justified.
“I spoke to Fulham and his agent and from the first day his agent was very clear, he is not in a rush,” Rodgers said. “He knows he is going to be an outstanding young talent, but at 19 years of age he wanted to go to a club that could develop that talent and make him a winner.
“If he does leave, which happens in football, he leaves a winner and having improved his ability still very young. Normally that doesn’t happen. Some will follow the money and believe me he could have got a lot more money elsewhere.”
It is indicative of the current, flawless scene around Rodgers that Dembélé may not even have played here. Leigh Griffiths has been established as Celtic’s starting striker, but a hamstring problem left the 26-year-old consigned to the stand. Griffiths will also miss Celtic’s Champions League visit to Barcelona on Tuesday.
Dembélé has proven himself a more than adequate replacement. His prominence arrived on an occasion of notable emotion for Rodgers; his father died five years to the day, with Celtic’s managerial icon Jock Stein dying on 10 September 1985.
“I spoke about Jock Stein in my team talk,” Rodgers said. “It was primarily about the guy looking down, the man who set the tone for this club, the template. Front foot, aggressive, no fear and when things go against you have that mentality to bounce back. We said that if he is looking down make sure we do him proud.”
Rodgers, after his first Old Firm match, said the occasion was “everything I expected and more.”
It is galling for Rangers, who imploded long before full-time, that Celtic have played considerably better than this in recent weeks. During a curious first half, it was obvious that Celtic recognised their superiority without being in a particular rush to press it home. As a consequence, Rangers enjoyed plenty of the ball.
Dembélé’s opener came in simple style when Rangers – as has become worryingly customary – failed to deal with a perfectly routine corner. With a nod of the head, Celtic were in front. The margin of that lead was doubled as Rangers’ Rob Kiernan passed the ball straight to Nir Bitton, who fed Dembélé. What happened next was a disaster for the debutant Philippe Senderos, who ended up on his backside as Dembélé slotted home.
Rangers were afforded brief hope, Joe Garner finding it impossible to miss from all of a yard before the break, and started the second period on the front foot. However, Celtic always carried more menace when attacking.
Scott Sinclair restored the hosts’ two-goal lead, Dembélé having done the supply work, before the Frenchman produced his finest goal of the trio.
In between Celtic’s third and fourth goals, the hapless Senderos received a second yellow card for a handball that was the epitome of senseless. Dembélé brilliantly controlled a Mikael Lustig cross, then unleashing a left-foot finish that left Wes Foderingham stranded. Stuart Armstrong’s stoppage time goal added gloss to the Celtic scene and emphasised what is currently a huge gulf between the Old Firm.
“It was men versus boys,” said Celtic’s captain, Scott Brown. Nobody could reasonably argue.
