Celtic 4 Kilmarnock 0
It is a familiar line-up from last season, with surprise signing Kasper Schmeichel as the only new face. Familiar was how Brendan Rodger’s side looked in total control from the get-go, haranguing Kilmarnock out of possession and wearing them out in it.
Killie, arguably still fatigued after their exit from the Europa League on Thursday, never looked like troubling Celtic’s defence, but their own was never allowed any respite.
Embed from Getty ImagesBrad Lyons’ goal-line clearance after a dazzling turn and shot from Kyogo Furuhashi was the first of many last-ditch efforts to keep the Glasgow side out.
Celtic made the complicated look effortless as their slick movement set Reo Hatate up to fire them in front.
Never easing off, their lead was doubled by Liam Scales’ glancing header to place the ball on the inside of the far post.
It would have been sooner had it not been for the efforts of keeper Robby McCrorie. The summer signing from Rangers was in fine form despite the mounting scoreline.
Another goal-line salvage from Kilmarnock followed swiftly as Derek McInnes’ face bore the look of a manager who knew that the game was gone, but with half an hour to go, there was no sign of his players sitting deep.
Instead, the exhausted players pressed high as the men in green and white continued to glide around them. Brave as it was, Celtic looked to exploit the spaces behind them and were rewarded when Nicolas Kuhn’s run in behind sent the defence into disarray as his shot was deflected over the head of a helpless McCrorie.
Kilmarnock had their best chance of the match when an inswinging ball met Fraser Murray just a few yards out, but the striker spurned the opportunity to save some face.
Embed from Getty ImagesPunished for their profligacy in front of goal, they were down by four as right-back Anthony Ralston, with the disappointment of the Euros behind him, placed a striker-like finish past the keeper.
A few thoughts
Smooth operators take control.
Celtic’s fluidity in possession will please the Guardiola disciple Rodgers. Still, it so too will their concentration and defensive organisation against a side that is one of the harder teams to beat in the league, having taken four points off them last year.
James Forrest’s place on the side marked the start of a potentially career-defining season for the Scot. Forrest has seemingly faded out of view in recent times but a series of electric performances towards the tail end of the campaign made the club reconsider opportunities to offload him. If the winger can maintain those levels in the coming months, he can continue his stay at his boyhood team.
Tough season ahead for Killie
For Kilmarnock, this will hardly be the end of the world. Celtic are the favourites for a reason, and McInnes’ side did not look like their usual selves. It’s not entirely surprising, given their fixtures only a few nights earlier, which would have shocked the system for many players.
Falling just below twenty per cent of possession is not brilliant reading. Still, the manager will surely focus on qualifying for the Europa Conference League and, should they qualify, strengthening the squad ahead of a gruelling season.
Embed from Getty ImagesDundee United 2 Dundee 2
Returning to the Premiership after an impressive promotion, Dundee United fans couldn’t have hoped for a more exciting opening fixture than the city rivals who had supplanted them as the city’s Premiership side.
If viewers had predicted that their time in the Championship might have given them an inferiority complex, then United was caught unaware, pressing with intent.
Neither did they look to punt the ball forward hoping for a chance. Slick passing from Jort van der Sande teed up another new signing, Kristijan Trapanovski, to score the side’s first Premiership goal since May 2023.
The lead didn’t last long as Dundee took advantage of the euphoria, and Simon Murray’s shot was pushed into the feet of Seb Palmer-Houlden.
Embed from Getty ImagesFrom then on, the sides went back and forth, trading blows, hoping to capitalise on another lapse in concentration from the other. United academy graduate Miller Thomson was a constant threat from the left back, bombing forward to stretch Dundee’s defence.
His attacking intent was rewarded as Vicko Ševelj cut a ball across the box for the twenty-year-old to score his first goal for the club.
Following the goal, the pace began to fizzle out of the game. Neither side created any meaningful chances until the 56th minute, when United turned a defensive corner on its head. A long ball sent Trapanovski racing into a one-on-one with the keeper.
This time, the Macedonian could not give his side an invaluable cushion as his shot beat the keeper but lacked the speed to prevent a goal-line clearance.
Jim Goodwin will have been kicking himself as Dundee once again took advantage of a lack of composure to level the score—another Simon Murray creation as the Dundee native raced into the box before being brought down.
A sigh of relief when it was ruled offside quickly dissipated as VAR ruled the decision incorrect, allowing captain Luke McGowan to bring the tie back to a point each.
Dundee grew in confidence and soon became the dominant side, their creativity thwarted only by their lack of precision in the final third. Failing to trouble the keeper on far too many occasions. The peak of their inaccuracy came at the end when Curtis Main fluffed his lines, sending the ball over the bar from just a couple of metres out.
When the final whistle blew, a point apiece seemed a fair outcome, the first hurdle both managers had overcome on the opening day.
A few Thoughts
Academy flame burns bright.
Dundee United’s historic investment in its academy continues to pay dividends, with Miller Thomson being the latest to make a name for himself in the alumni list, including Ryan Gauld, Stuart Armstrong, and the Souttar brothers. The winger was a livewire throughout from full-back.
The league has been crying out for young Scottish players to impress, and Goodwin hopes that last year’s loan at Montrose will give him the experience to handle the raised expectations following a first goal in your club’s biggest fixture.
Embed from Getty ImagesDundee gel well
Given the extent of the squad change, it would always be challenging to predict how Dundee would look in the opening. Last season, the club made 13 loan signings, including standout star Owen Beck. Despite the level of opposition, a win in all of their League Cup group-stage games was a positive sign. Still, a derby is a different kettle, and Docherty will be pleased to come away unscathed as the squad continues to familiarise.
Heart of Midlothian 0 Rangers 0
A Rangers side, amid a rebuild, travelled to Edinburgh to face a Hearts side with the potential to cause a few upsets this season.
They looked intent on starting on the opening day, acting as the aggressors from the off, with Lawrence Shankland testing Jack Butland’s pre-season training from the get-go. The rest of the Gers seemed to be shedding some of their rust as Hearts’s interchanges and quick passing perplexed the supposed dominant side.
Yan Danda provided the most significant threat of the first half when his shot from outside the box rattled the crossbar. A rattle that seemed to wake Philippe Clement’s men, Conor Baron, came in with his side’s first real opportunity as his shot from distance was saved by Zander Clark.
Embed from Getty ImagesIt seemed as good as it got for the away side, but a lack of invention was evident when progressing the ball up the park. Mohamed Diomande’s searching long passes provided the bulk of the opportunities. Cyriel Dessers almost capitalised on the speculative game plan as he plucked the ball out of the air, only to be let down by an inability to place the shot below the bar.
Although Rangers began to control possession, Hearts showed they could mix things up on the counter. Kenneth Vargas and Danda’s runs in behind tested the pace of the Rangers’ defence.
There was a claim for a handball in the box when Danda’s cross hit Baron’s arm, but there wasn’t enough for VAR to overturn the decision.
Dessers came within centimetres of giving his side the lead when his header hit the bar, but Clark saved by the slightest deflection from Kye Rowles. Tom Lawrence came close once again with a thundering shot, but this time, the Jambo keeper was the master of his own destiny, making a great save to keep the score level.
Both sides began to tire, and chances became fewer and farther between as they entered the final stretch. The fatigue confused the Rangers defence as a lack of communication between Butland and Conor Goldson almost coughed up his clean sheet.
Ultimately, a point each in a thrilling match seemed the right way to kick off a brilliant season.
Embed from Getty ImagesA few thoughts
Rangers need plan B
The aforementioned tactic of hoofing the ball up the park is usually reserved for the latter stages of the game, so seeing it as the Rangers’ first port of call is a worrying sign for what’s to come. Diomande can ping a ball, but the league is full of defenders who are more than capable of dealing with it.
Perhaps the side will need to continue to gel, but there is much work to be done to create the kinds of opportunities Celtic is putting together this weekend.
The look attack takes the pressure off Shankland.
Last year, Shankland’s goalscoring and chance creation continued to dominate the headlines with little credit in the bank left to spare for his teammates.
Embed from Getty ImagesThis season, however, Naismith is looking to vary his attack, with Shankland dropping deeper into the orchestrator role. With Vargas and Danda adding dynamism, an injury or loss of the talismanic striker could become less damaging.
The transition will depend on the support cast’s need to provide more goals, or it could end up being the same old story for the Edinburgh side.
Elsewhere
Aberdeen began the season with a 2-1 win away to St Johnstone. Hibernian’s year looks set to be no less grim than the last, as they lost to St Mirren 3-0, while Ross County and Motherwell grabbed a point in a 0-0 draw.
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