Match ends, Partick Thistle 1, Celtic 2.
Partick ThistlePartick Thistle1CelticCeltic2
Two goals in nine minutes either side of the interval gave leaders Celtic victory against Partick Thistle as they stay one point clear of Aberdeen.
Leigh Griffiths scored his 35th of the season just before half-time and Callum McGregor struck soon after the restart.
Sean Welsh pulled a goal back for the hosts with a penalty six minutes from time after Erik Sviatchenko was harshly done for dragging back Steven Lawless.
Celtic saw out some nervy minutes for their first win in three league games.
This game was open from the start. In the opening 10 minutes, Griffiths and Gary Mackay-Steven both went close to scoring, followed soon after by Liam Lindsay's thumping hit that Craig Gordon beat away.
Celtic had most efforts on goal in the opening half - eight to Thistle's three - and it was the last of them that proved the most telling.
Alan Archibald, Thistle's manager, would have been relatively happy with his team in the minutes leading up to the break. They had soaked up the pressure but had also threatened a few times down the other end. Parity at half-time would have done him nicely, but it was not to be.
The goal had its origins in hard work by Kieran Tierney and Mackay-Steven up the left. When the midfielder swung in his cross, Thistle lost their defensive bearings and allowed Griffiths to take over.
He controlled the ball with his first touch. As his markers evaporated, Griffiths struck his shot low past Tomas Cerny. The goalkeeper got a hand to it but could not keep it out. Yet again, Celtic's arch-marksman had done the job.
It was his eighth goal in eight games in a season that could well see him hit the precious half-century if he keeps going at his current rate.
The second half was only nine minutes old when they doubled their lead, McGregor coming in from the right-hand side of Thistle's penalty area and drilling a shot into the far corner of Cerny's net.
Griffiths could - and should - have had a second midway through the second half, but Cerny won the one-on-one battle. Colin Kazim-Richards, a second-half replacement for Kris Commons, got on the breaking ball but put a tame effort wide.
| Jags on the spot |
|---|
| Partick Thistle's penalty was their first in 69 matches and the first they have successfully converted since February 2014, 86 games ago. |
Later, the substitute set himself up with a chance, but that one went wide, too. Nir Bitton missed an easy chance also. None of these misses looked like they would have any relevance until that late penalty which could, at first viewing, could be categorised as the softest of the soft.
Welsh sent Gordon the wrong way from the spot and, suddenly, a cruise had become a bit of a bumpy ride. Celtic would have been feeling a tad queasy at the end of it, but they deserved their win.
It did not cost them, but they will ponder their profligacy all the same.
Line-ups
Partick Thistle
Formation 4-2-3-1
- 1Cerny
- 2MillerBooked at 29mins
- 17Lindsay
- 3Seaborne
- 5Booth
- 6Osman
- 4Welsh
- 7AmooBooked at 25mins
- 22FraserSubstituted forElliottat 71'minutes
- 11LawlessSubstituted forEdwardsat 85'minutes
- 9DoolanSubstituted forPogbaat 60'minutes
Substitutes
- 10German
- 12Scully
- 13Frans
- 14Elliott
- 18Wilson
- 19Edwards
- 99Pogba
Celtic
Formation 4-2-3-1
- 1Gordon
- 23Lustig
- 28SviatchenkoBooked at 84mins
- 21Mulgrew
- 63Tierney
- 8BrownBooked at 78mins
- 6BittonBooked at 90mins
- 42McGregor
- 15CommonsSubstituted forKazim-Richardsat 67'minutes
- 16Mackay-StevenSubstituted forAmbroseat 90+2'minutes
- 9GriffithsSubstituted forS Armstrongat 89'minutes
Substitutes
- 4Ambrose
- 13Kazim-Richards
- 14S Armstrong
- 18Rogic
- 27Roberts
- 38Fasan
- 49Forrest
- Referee:
- Stephen Finnie
- Attendance:
- 7,238
Match Stats
Home TeamPartick ThistleAway TeamCeltic
- Possession
- Home43%
- Away57%
- Shots
- Home7
- Away15
- Shots on Target
- Home4
- Away8
- Corners
- Home4
- Away5
- Fouls
- Home8
- Away10
Live Text
Post update
Full Time
Second Half ends, Partick Thistle 1, Celtic 2.
Post update
Corner, Celtic. Conceded by Liam Lindsay.
Substitution
Substitution, Celtic. Efe Ambrose replaces Gary Mackay-Steven.
Post update
Foul by Mathias Pogba (Partick Thistle).
Post update
Nir Bitton (Celtic) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Post update
Ryan Edwards (Partick Thistle) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Post update
Foul by Gary Mackay-Steven (Celtic).
Booking
Nir Bitton (Celtic) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Post update
Mathias Pogba (Partick Thistle) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Post update
Foul by Nir Bitton (Celtic).
Substitution
Substitution, Celtic. Stuart Armstrong replaces Leigh Griffiths because of an injury.
Post update
Corner, Partick Thistle. Conceded by Kieran Tierney.
Post update
Foul by Christie Elliott (Partick Thistle).
Post update
Gary Mackay-Steven (Celtic) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Substitution
Substitution, Partick Thistle. Ryan Edwards replaces Steven Lawless.
Goal!
Goal! Partick Thistle 1, Celtic 2. Sean Welsh (Partick Thistle) converts the penalty with a right footed shot to the bottom right corner.
Booking
Erik Sviatchenko (Celtic) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Post update
Penalty Partick Thistle. Steven Lawless draws a foul in the penalty area.
Post update
Penalty conceded by Erik Sviatchenko (Celtic) after a foul in the penalty area.
