Glasgow | Celtic cruise to victory on O'Neill return

Celtic 4 - 0 Falkirk

Martin O'Neill had a fantastic return to management as Celtic cruised to victory over Falkirk 

Author | Sean M

Stadium | Celtic Park

Celtic cut the gap at the top of the Scottish Premiership to 6 points as interim manager Martin O’Neill marked his return to the dugout with a commanding win.

Johnny Kenny’s first-half brace, followed by goals from Benjamin Nygren and Sebastian Tounekti, secured a convincing victory for a side desperate to respond after back-to-back league defeats.

The shock resignation of Brendan Rodgers on Monday and the fallout that followed have only deepened what has been a turbulent campaign for Celtic. A response here was badly needed against a Falkirk side buoyed by two consecutive wins.

Another night of protest

Pre-match fan protests and the sight of principal shareholder Dermot Desmond in the main stand, following his statement that appeared to pin the club’s recent troubles on Rodgers, only intensified the sense of turmoil around Celtic Park.

A closer look at what happened on the pitch

O’Neill turned to experience, reshaping the defence and recalling James Forrest on the right flank. They showed some early intent but initially struggled to test goalkeeper Scott Bain. The breakthrough came from the industrious but sometimes wasteful Nygren, whose shot came back off the post for Kenny to finish the rebound.

Falkirk almost responded immediately through Trey Samuel-Ogunsuyi, but Kasper Schmeichel produced a fine save. From that point, Celtic seized control.

Kenny added his second after reacting quickest to Nygren’s knockdown, before Nygren and Tounekti each struck to underline the hosts’ dominance.

It might have been more as Celtic enjoyed a much-needed reprieve from the turmoil off the pitch, and O’Neill’s side will now look to carry that momentum into a crucial cup semi-final against Rangers.

This unfolded about as well as O’Neill could have wished. 

In one of the club’s most turbulent weeks in recent memory, a two-goal lead at half-time was an ideal platform, and Celtic built on it convincingly.

There was a clear intent to move the ball forward with greater urgency, a shift that appeared to come directly from the new manager’s instructions.

Celtic have long lacked a reliable goalscoring focal point. Kelechi Iheanacho had hinted at being the answer before injury halted his progress, but Kenny finally took his opportunity. He looked sharp, confident and hungry for more.

It was a welcome boost both for him and for the team, as was the sight of Daizen Maeda returning from injury to make a substitute appearance.

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If Nygren were more clinical in front of goal, his numbers could be remarkable. Still, his knack for finding space and creating danger from central areas remains one of Celtic’s biggest attacking assets.

There is still plenty of work ahead for O’Neill’s side to truly find their rhythm, but this was a positive step that lifted spirits before Sunday’s League Cup semi-final against Rangers.

Falkirk, for their part, created opportunities and showed they can compete. They maintained their effort throughout and continue to look a capable Premiership outfit, even if this particular result will have stung.