Kai Watson: Trouble At Tannadice
I feel like I say this every week but it remains to be true, every single match day remaining in the Scottish Premiership season is MASSIVE. This weekend was no different and it presented one of the first twists in the title run in. Hearts hosted Dundee at Tynecastle at 3PM on Saturday, Rangers took on Aberdeen at Ibrox in the 17:45 televised game and Celtic travelled to Tannadice early on Sunday afternoon.
Hearts started the weekend with a two point lead over Celtic and a three point lead over Rangers with their fate firmly in their hands. Unsurprisingly for Hearts, it was a cagey affair in which they controlled the ball. Claudio Braga missed a huge chance to put Hearts 1-0 up after some smart play down their right side.
Hearts had a couple of half chances before Oisin McEntee’s aggression allowed him to get to the ball first and head in from Marc Leonard’s clipped free-kick. Hearts had another couple of half-chances and Frankie Kent was sent off for a second yellow but it ended 1-0 and was a huge victory for Derek McInnes’ side.
Rangers were up next and were six points behind the league leaders at kick-off. Chermiti had a brilliant chance to put Danny Rohl’s side 1-0 up within twenty minutes but fired his left-footed shot into the side netting. The breakthrough came on the 35th minute, after excellent work from Tuur Rommens, Mikey Moore’s shot from his cutback was blocked but it fell to Tochi Chukwuani on the edge of the box and he slotted a nice finish past Mitov.
It stayed 1-0 till half-time but Rangers quickly made it 2-0 in the second half, Raskin won the ball back and played it into Naderi who’s first touch was excellent and opened up the pitch, he drove forward and played it to Moore who cut in on his right and curled a lovely finish into the far corner. Some slack play from Rangers was capitalised on by Aberdeen when Aremu played a lovely through ball to Geiger who finished expertly just five minutes after Moore’s goal.
The home side sealed the game ten minutes later though as a poor clearance from a James Tavernier free-kick fell straight to Raskin who volleyed it home to make it 3-1 on 62 minutes. Rangers then had a goal disallowed after some aggressive play from Gassama on the left led to the ball falling to Naderi who backheeled it into Miovski’s path and he calmly slotted it home.
However, it was chopped off due to a Connor Barron handball in the build up. The fourth did eventually come though through a magnificent Tavernier freekick which smashed off the underside of the bar, leaving Mitov with no chance.
That win moved Rangers into second and still three points behind Hearts.
Celtic then travelled to Tannadice yesterday, on one of the worst professional pitches you’re likely to see, and had the first big chance of the game but Tierney’s shot flew over the bar. Sinisalo made a very smart save from a powerful Will Ferry effort before his counterpart, Maynard-Brewer, saved from Iheanacho.
It was 0-0 at half-time but only took six minutes into the second-half for the deadlock to be broken. Dundee United broke away and the ball eventually went out to Luca Stephenson and his cutback found the excellent Will Ferry who’s scuffed shot deceived Sinisalo and made it 1-0 to the home side.
Celtic almost equalised when Maynard-Brewer fumbled Hatate’s cross/shot onto the post but just a couple of minutes later it was 2-0. Watters shot was blocked and ball fell to Agyei on the edge of the box and he controlled a left footed strike into Sinisalo’s bottom left corner.
Maeda had a decent chance to get Celtic back into it on the 82nd minute but could only hit the side netting and that was that, a famous 2-0 win for Jim Goodwin’s side. Celtic were poor and lacked any kind of quality up top and now find themselves five points behind Hearts and two behind Rangers.
Sadly, it’s now time for the international break so we have two weeks to wait before the next installment in this incredible Scottish Premiership season.
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