It was far from a classic display by Celtic on Friday night when they traveled to take on Partick Thistle, but in the end they were able to come away with three points from a 0-1 win. Here’s three things from the match:
Griffiths gets a decent bit of rest
Brendan Rodgers decided to hold striker Leigh Griffiths in reserve to begin the match. That decision ultimately paid off for them as they would win, but Rodgers didn’t feel comfortable about the match enough to leave him there for the entire 90.
Around 60 minutes, the striker took to the pitch. He didn’t help add to the score, but the key thing is he will be fresher for their match with Astana on Wednesday. Griffiths scored in both legs against them last season, so he’ll be looked at as a big player for that tie.
Ntcham lashes home
Celtic’s winner could be seen as a scrappy one, but the finish itself was far from it. From a corner kick situation, the ball was only half-cleared toward Olivier Ntcham, and the Frenchman hammered in a rasping drive that hit the back of the net before goalkeeper Tomas Cerny could shift his feet enough to dive. With his goal, Ntcham has given his manager quite a lot to think about.
Celtic composed
While it might not have been a classic for the Hoops, they were facing a side that had taken points off of them last season. That was a true rarity when it happened, so the Bhoys knew that they were going to have to be good in all phases in order to hang on and win this match.
Once again, they were run very hard by Thistle, but they came through in the end due to composed play all-around. That will do them well with the Champions League now on the horizon.
