Match ends, Partick Thistle 0, Celtic 3.
Partick ThistlePartick Thistle0CelticCeltic3
- Both Gary Mackay-Steven and Stuart Armstrong score
- Stefan Johansen adds a third for Celtic in second half
- Ronny Deila's men move three points clear at top
- Celtic go eight consecutive games without conceding
Celtic's two debutants scored as Partick Thistle were overcome to move the champions three points clear at the top of the Premiership.
Gary Mackay-Steven took less than a minute to register his first goal for the club, before Stuart Armstrong soon added a second.
They fitted seamlessly into the Celtic side, who attacked at times with impressive pace and precision.
The excellent Stefan Johansen added a third to secure a comfortable victory.
Craig Gordon stretched his run without conceding to eight games, with the last man to beat him being Armstrong when he was in a Dundee United shirt.
Thistle boss Alan Archibald made five changes from the weekend defeat to Inverness, but they rarely troubled the visitors as they ended a fourth game without a win.
Celtic's two ex-Dundee United stars were very quickly into their stride in their new colours.
Mackay-Steven was immediately influential, robbing Frederic Frans, scurrying forward and then feeding John Guidetti.
The result was a corner kick, and when the ball broke to Mackay-Steven inside the penalty area he turned it low and hard past Scott Fox.
With Johansen playing centrally and Armstrong on the left, there was a line of guile and penetration behind the lone striker, Guidetti. For a Partick defence that had been hapless last weekend, the challenge was daunting: how to contain Celtic's blistering attacks.
The home side were not helped by the instances when players were caught in possession, or when they tried to spring Lyle Taylor behind the Celtic defence but rushed the delivery of the pass. Taylor was able to trouble the Celtic centre-backs, but the quality of possession wasn't good enough for Thistle to take advantage.
Instead, Celtic eased into command. Johansen was prominent, playing first-time passes and clever through-balls, but so, too, was Armstrong. He did not tend to play wide while at Dundee United, but he was busy in the opening half and forced a diving save from Fox.
The goalkeeper had to be similarly sharp to save a Johansen effort after Scott Brown had robbed Stuart Bannigan.
When another opportunity was presented to Armstrong, by his former United teammate Mackay-Steven, the midfielder chose to slip a clever angled pass into Guidetti's path. The striker could not finish, but returned the ball to Armstrong and he confidently converted.
Partick were not forlorn, and Taylor headed over Stephen O'Donnell's cross just before the interval.
It was the home side who were purposeful at the beginning of the second half too, with Bannigan claiming that his shot inside the area was blocked by Emilio Izaguirre's hand.
The referee Crawford Allan was close at hand and wasn't convinced it was a penalty kick, and the riled home side soon created another chance when Ryan Stevenson crossed and Taylor flicked wide from in front of the near post.
Celtic were unruffled, though, and there was time for more impressive play from Johansen, who was elegantly decisive throughout.
When Guidetti drew the Partick defenders towards him, the ball broke forward to Johansen, who clinically shot low across Fox and inside the far post.
Moments later, the midfielder chipped the ball to Guidetti at the back post, but the striker volleyed over.
Line-ups
Partick Thistle
Formation 4-2-3-1
- 1Fox
- 2O'Donnell
- 13Frans
- 6Balatoni
- 5Booth
- 18Osman
- 8BanniganSubstituted forFraserat 81'minutes
- 28McDaid
- 10Stevenson
- 14ElliottSubstituted forHigginbothamat 71'minutes
- 29TaylorSubstituted forDoolanat 72'minutes
Substitutes
- 7Craigen
- 9Doolan
- 11Lawless
- 12Gallacher
- 15Higginbotham
- 21Richards-Everton
- 22Fraser
Celtic
Formation 4-2-3-1
- 26Gordon
- 2MatthewsSubstituted forFisherat 72'minutes
- 22Denayer
- 5van Dijk
- 3Izaguirre
- 8Brown
- 6Bitton
- 16Mackay-StevenSubstituted forMcGregorat 83'minutes
- 25JohansenSubstituted forHendersonat 70'minutes
- 14Armstrong
- 9Guidetti
Substitutes
- 4Ambrose
- 10Stokes
- 12Scepovic
- 24Zaluska
- 41Fisher
- 42McGregor
- 53Henderson
- Referee:
- Crawford Allan
- Attendance:
- 5,776
Match Stats
Home TeamPartick ThistleAway TeamCeltic
- Possession
- Home38%
- Away62%
- Shots
- Home9
- Away12
- Shots on Target
- Home3
- Away6
- Corners
- Home3
- Away5
- Fouls
- Home9
- Away14
Live Text
Post update
Full Time
Second Half ends, Partick Thistle 0, Celtic 3.
Post update
Attempt saved. Ryan Stevenson (Partick Thistle) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Post update
Attempt saved. Emilio Izaguirre (Celtic) left footed shot from a difficult angle on the left is saved in the bottom left corner.
Post update
Foul by Gary Fraser (Partick Thistle).
Post update
John Guidetti (Celtic) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Post update
Declan McDaid (Partick Thistle) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Post update
Foul by John Guidetti (Celtic).
Post update
Callum Booth (Partick Thistle) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Post update
Foul by Stuart Armstrong (Celtic).
Post update
Attempt saved. Gary Fraser (Partick Thistle) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Post update
Kris Doolan (Partick Thistle) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Post update
Foul by Virgil van Dijk (Celtic).
Substitution
Substitution, Celtic. Callum McGregor replaces Gary Mackay-Steven.
Post update
Frederic Frans (Partick Thistle) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Post update
Foul by John Guidetti (Celtic).
Substitution
Substitution, Partick Thistle. Gary Fraser replaces Stuart Bannigan.
Post update
Attempt blocked. Kallum Higginbotham (Partick Thistle) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
Post update
Stuart Bannigan (Partick Thistle) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Post update
Foul by Darnell Fisher (Celtic).
