Celtic made a very unusual start to the Glasgow Derby on Sunday which not only caught Celtic fans off guard but the opposition.
A rugby style kick into the opponents half and handing them possession with a throw-in is something I’ve personally never seen in all the Glasgow derbies I’ve watched down the years.
I have seen Craig Levein’s side do this twice against Celtic in recent times but on both occasions it didn’t really work.
Admit it – looking back, you would’ve been confused and a little annoyed Celtic had just taken kick off at Ibrox and kicked the ball into touch.
While you never want to willingly concede possession in a game of football – this was a symbolic statement and one that had more than the destined effect.
With the crowd behind them and all fired up ready to run at Celtic and put pressure on us from the off – Celtic took all the power away from them and lunched it to near their corner flag.
They took the throw-in and immediately Celtic presses them – winning the ball back and trying to create an opportunity. This helped subdue the crowd and set the tone for Celtic being the dominant team all day.
Speaking about the kick-off, Neil Lennon was happy to be laughed at for his decision.
“Everyone might have laughed at the kick-off, but we wanted to play in their half which we didn’t do in the corresponding fixture when we conceded a free-kick and then we were 1-0 down” Lennon told CelticTV.
Celtic won the game with goals from Edouard and Hayes in a return to form at Ibrox.
