'Wow': Relentless Celtic lavished with praise as Brendan Rodgers singles out 'unfortunate' player
Champions bring their A game as some of their football is immense
What a difference 11 months make. Celtic were booed off after only managing to beat Ross County 1-0 in January. A 5-0 win over the same opponents was considered far more acceptable, with Brendan Rodgers summing up the performance in one word: “Wow!”
The Celtic manager did not get where he is by forgetting the small details. Even amidst the delirium of this handsome victory, with a performance he described as “everything you would want as a coach”, Rodgers recalled a game last season when his side were jeered off the park after beating Ross County 1-0 with a deflected Alistair Johnston goal.
It was the first game after the winter break. Celtic were still to get into their stride, and the fans let them know about it. “Listen, it is not lost on me, we got booed off here earlier this year!” he smiled. “We actually won 1-0. But what I know from my time and obviously knowing Celtic, it isn't just about the scoreline. It is about the performance.”
Celtic produced on both fronts here to go five points clear of nearest rivals Aberdeen at the top of the Premiership. The Pittodrie side take on Hearts at Tynecastle on Sunday before hosting the champions on Wednesday.
Rodgers has plenty of options to consider before then. He made six changes to the starting line-up after Wednesday’s 1-1 draw against Club Brugge and looked on as four of those he brought in celebrated goals. Skipper Callum McGregor joined Liam Scales, Luke McCowan, Paulo Bernardo and Adam Idah on the scoresheet.
“Wow!” said Rodgers later. “Some of the football we played… ” He added: “I said before the game that it's not a game we want to wait on. We want to go and create the game. From the very first whistle you see the hunger and the determination in the players and the mentality to impose our style in the game.
“Scalesy gets us off to a great start - great ball in, gets the header in. We were relentless after that. We played equally as well in the second half but you have to give credit to the goalkeeper, who’s made some brilliant saves.”
Ross County substitute ‘keeper Jack Hamilton had stepped into the breach after Ross Laidlaw suffered a knee injury near the end of the first half, when it was 5-0. Hamilton could feel satisfied with his contribution after helping stem the flow but Celtic also hit the woodwork three times.
Rodgers hailed playmaker McCowan’s performance. The midfielder scored once and produced three assists in the 70 minutes he was on the field. “He has just been unfortunate,” said the manager, with reference to McCowan's limited number of starts since signing from Dundee. “It is about bedding into the system and the demands of how we play. But now you see he is totally ingrained into the touch-pass tempo that we play and the movement and the pressing and the work. I thought he was absolutely brilliant today with his goal, (and putting) his personality in the game.”
Ross County manager Don Cowie summed up the sense of hopelessness that inhibits domestic visitors at Parkhead. “We're playing against a Champions League team and it's having that realism that if they play really well that it's a really tough afternoon,” he said. “They had a 15-minute spell where they didn't let us breathe. They were relentless and that's what they do. That's why they're playing at the level that they do.”
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