Celtic moved level on points with Scottish Premiership leaders Hearts after a gritty 3-1 victory over Falkirk at Celtic Park on Saturday. Martin O'Neill's side capitalised on playing before their title rivals, piling pressure on Rangers and Hearts, who are not in action until Sunday. The win, secured by a brace from Daizen Maeda and a first-half strike from Kieran Tierney, keeps Celtic firmly in the title race with four games remaining.
Key Takeaways
- Title Race Heats Up: Celtic's win puts them level on points with Hearts, with Rangers just one point behind. All three teams have four games left.
- Maeda's Double Ends Drought: Daizen Maeda scored twice, ending a 17-game goal drought and showing timely form in the run-in.
- Falkirk's European Hopes Fade: The Bairns, sixth in the table, have won just one of their last five matches and face a tough battle for European qualification.
- Injury Woes for Celtic: The hosts were without key players Scott Bain, Filip Lissah, and Liam Henderson due to injuries sustained in last weekend's Scottish Cup semi-final defeat to Dunfermline Athletic.
Match Stats: Celtic 3-1 Falkirk | Goals: Maeda (2, 83'), Tierney (45+2'); Wilson (70') | Possession: Celtic 58% - 42% Falkirk | Shots on Target: 6-3
How Celtic Overcame Stubborn Falkirk
Celtic started brightly despite the absence of three first-team regulars. Captain Brad Spencer forced a fine save from Viljami Sinisalo early on, and Dylan Tait headed wide from a corner. But Falkirk's failure to capitalise proved costly.
Maeda opened the scoring in typical fashion, pressing high and pouncing on Keelan Adams' heavy touch on the halfway line. The Japan international caught goalkeeper Nicky Hogarth off his line with a clever first-time finish. Tierney then doubled Celtic's lead just before half-time, thumping a sixth goal of the season off the crossbar after a swift counter-attack.
O'Neill's side controlled much of the second period, with Yang having a goal ruled out for offside. But Falkirk pulled one back with 20 minutes remaining through substitute Kyrell Wilson, who controlled Leon McCann's cross-field pass before unleashing an unstoppable half-volley into the top corner. Wilson continued to threaten an equaliser, but Maeda sealed the win seven minutes from time, tapping in Sebastian Tounekti's cutback for his second goal in as many matches.
"We had to dig deep today," O'Neill said. "Falkirk made it difficult, but the character shown by the players was outstanding. Maeda's performance was world-class."
Falkirk manager John McGlynn lamented his side's missed chances. "We had opportunities to hurt them, but you can't afford to waste them against a team like Celtic. We paid the price."
With four games left, the title race is finely poised. Celtic's next test is a trip to Rangers, while Hearts face Hibernian. The Bairns, meanwhile, must regroup quickly to keep their European hopes alive.
Source: Sky Sports
