Celtic have sealed their 11th title success in 12 years.
Ange Postecoglou’s side topped the table when they beat Aberdeen 2-0 on the opening weekend of the season in July and have never dropped down at any stage.
Here we look back at six key games in the title race.
Ross County 1 Celtic 3 (August 6)
Postecoglou’s side came through a difficult situation in their second game at a ground where Celtic have experienced some troubles in recent years.
Alex Iacovitti cancelled out Kyogo Furuhashi’s opener with County’s first effort on target in the 58th minute but Moritz Jenz headed a debut goal six minutes from time and Liel Abada curled home in stoppage time.
Postecoglou hailed his side’s “outstanding” response to County’s goal and added: “We stuck to our task, played our football, scored another good goal and even then there was no thought of stopping there, we got our third and I’m really pleased with every aspect of our game.”
Celtic 4 Rangers 0 (September 3)
The Bhoys moved five points clear with a convincing victory after sweeping their city rivals aside in the first half thanks to Abada’s double and a Jota goal. David Turnbull accepted a late gift to round off another thumping win six days after Celtic recorded a record 9-0 away win over Dundee United.
Postecoglou said: “The league table isn’t important right now. What’s important is how we play. If we continue to play like that, absolutely, we’re going to be hard to stop.”
St Johnstone 1 Celtic 2 (October 8)
Celtic looked set to drop points for the second successive away match following defeat by St Mirren, when St Johnstone defender Alex Mitchell scored a stoppage-time equaliser to wipe out a first-half own goal. But Giorgos Giakoumakis turned home Alexandro Bernabei’s cross in the fifth minute of time added on.
“You can win a game of football many ways but winning it this way also provides some confidence in the fact that we still have that character and resilience in the group,” Postecoglou said.
Aberdeen 0 Celtic 1 (December 17)
The long mid-season break threatened to disrupt the flow of every in-form team and Celtic faced a challenge in their first game back as then Aberdeen boss Jim Goodwin parked the bus at Pittodrie.
Celtic had 33 efforts at goal compared to Aberdeen’s two, both of which were off target, and enjoyed 80 per cent possession, but did not make it count until Callum McGregor netted from 20 yards in the 87th minute in his comeback from a knee injury.
Postecoglou said of his captain: “We did awfully well to cover his absence but it doesn’t take away from the fact he is a fantastic footballer and he makes our team even better.”
Rangers 2 Celtic 2 (January 2)
Celtic took a nine-point lead to Ibrox against a Rangers side who had won their first four matches under Michael Beale. Daizen Maeda gave Celtic an early lead but their dominance was affected by an injury to Greg Taylor and goals from Ryan Kent and James Tavernier turned the game on its head just after the break.
However, Furuhashi netted a poacher’s goal from 12 yards in the 87th minute to protect Celtic’s advantage at the top of the table.
Postecoglou said: “There isn’t anything like a lost cause. You go till the final whistle and nothing changes. For that to be effective, you have to do it on a weekly basis. And we do.”
Celtic 3 Rangers 2 (April 8)
Both teams kept on winning until their next meeting, which was do or die for Rangers. The visitors had an early Alfredo Morelos goal ruled out before a double from Furuhashi and another Jota goal saw Celtic open up a 12-point lead despite Tavernier’s double.
Postecoglou branded his Japanese striker a “winner” and added: “He wants that responsibility to rise to the occasion. He wants to be the person who delivers and he did it again today.”
Rangers 4-1 Kilmarnock: Gers come from behind to keep pressure on Celtic
Rangers came from behind to beat 10-man Kilmarnock 4-1 at Ibrox on Sunday to keep the pressure on Scottish Premiership title rivals Celtic.
After Celtic thumped Hearts 3-0 on Saturday, it looked like the Bhoys' title charge could receive a further boost when James Tavernier put through his own net with 12 minutes gone at Ibrox after Liam Polworth's cross was nudged back across goal by Matty Kennedy.
However, Kilmarnock's Joe Wright was sent off for handling Dujon Sterling's goalbound effort shortly after, and though Tavernier's resulting spot-kick was brilliantly saved by Will Dennis, Rangers did get themselves back on level terms deep into first-half stoppage time as Fabio Silva turned home John Lundstram's cross.
Ben Davies then bundled the hosts into the lead with 62 minutes on the clock after Dennis fumbled Lundstram's long-range effort into the defender's path, before substitute Tom Lawrence extended Rangers' lead with a delightful strike from outside the box.
John Souttar sealed the win in the dying seconds with a close-range header, moving Rangers three points behind Celtic ahead of the crucial Old Firm next Saturday.
Celtic 3-0 Hearts: Kyogo sends hosts six points clear of Rangers
Kyogo Furuhashi scored twice in the first half as Celtic defeated Hearts 3-0 on Saturday to move six points clear of rivals Rangers in the Scottish Premiership title race.
Rangers host Kilmarnock on Sunday for their game in hand, but Celtic, who also have a better goal difference, remain in control of the title race as things stand.
Celtic will then host Rangers in next week's pivotal Old Firm derby.
Lawrence Shankland almost gave Hearts a dream start when his effort deflected just wide in the opening minute, but from that point on, despite some strong spells of play in the opening half, they never looked likely to record what would have been their third consecutive win over Celtic.
Kyogo had Celtic two goals up inside 21 minutes in a hammer blow to Hearts, who are all but certain to finish in third place this season.
A Matt O'Riley penalty three minutes from time ended any faint hopes of a Hearts comeback, sealing a result that puts further pressure on Rangers.
Data Debrief: O'Riley key to Celtic success
Kyogo's early header was set up by Reo Hatate, while it was O'Riley who set up the second goal with a superb pass that the Japan international met with a first-time finish.
O'Riley, who later added his penalty, now has 14 goals and 12 assists in the Premiership this season. His goal tally is the highest of any Celtic player, while the creative total is the best in the whole league.
Dundee 1-2 Celtic: Forrest brace restores Hoops' three-point lead at SPL summit
James Forrest scored twice as Celtic regained their three-point cushion at the Scottish Premiership summit with a narrow 2-1 victory over Dundee.
Rangers had applied the pressure earlier in the day with a 2-1 win at St Mirren, moving Philippe Clement's side level on points with the Hoops.
Although, Celtic did not twitch with Forrest volleying them ahead on the half-hour mark, before doubling their lead in the 67th minute.
Antonio Portales pulled a goal back for Dundee seven minutes later with his first league strike of the season, but the visitors held on to pull clear at the top once more with five games remaining.
Data debrief
Returning to the starting line-up today, Forrest's double separated the sides as he found the net more than once in a game for the first time since scoring a hat-trick against Hibernian in October 2022.
Celtic have now won their last 10 league matches against Dundee and are unbeaten in 43 meetings overall since a 2-0 defeat in May 2001, only enjoying a longer such streak against Dumbarton (50).
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
