Ex-Celtic star slams Sparta Prague defeat as one of most 'gutless' Celtic performances he's ever seen

Chris Sutton believes Celtic’s 4-1 defeat to Sparta Prague on Thursday evening was one of the most “gutless performances” he’s ever seen from the club.

The Celtic players look dejected after conceding a third to Sparta Prague during their Europa League defeat. Picture: SNS

The hosts were embarrassed in the Europa League as the Czech visitors earned a well-deserved victory thanks to a Lukas Julis hat-trick and late strike from Ladislav Krejci. Leigh Griffiths came off the bench to briefly threaten a revival with his third goal of the campaign.

Asked about his thoughts on the display by his former club on BT Sport’s coverage, Sutton was unequivocal in his reaction.

He said: “That was one of the most gutless performances from a Celtic team I think I’ve ever seen. Quite frankly tonight they did not compete in any shape or form. It’s a dressing room where you have to question to character.

“I thought they chucked it tonight. They were patchy in the first half, there were moments in the second half but they bottled it in the end.

“I think Neil Lennon will find himself under pressure. You can’t be humiliated to a team like that who, OK, they’re a good side, but it’s a team Neil Lennon, the Celtic board and the players would expect to beat.

“Teams feel they can get at Celtic and this Sparta Prague team battered them tonight. They were pathetic. It was bad enough against Rangers but this was a step down.

“I’ve seen players saying they’ve been taking undeserved criticism, well go out on the pitch and prove it. They let themselves down badly tonight. That is totally, totally unacceptable.”

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