da betobet： Celtic became the first Scottish side for 118 years to go an entire league season unbeaten on Sunday with a comfortable win over Hearts at Celtic Park.
da bwin： Funnily enough, it all started against the same team. Back when Brendan Rodgers had yet to prove himself as a Celtic manager they faced off against the Jam Tarts at Tynecastle, kickstarting this incredible domestic run.
The Hoops have breezed through most of the opposition but it hasn’t gone all their own way in every match. There have been occasions when they’ve had to dig deep and find a winning spirit within themselves.
As they bask in the glory of becoming invincible, here are the FIVE biggest moments on their way to the incredible unbeaten season…
August 7th – Hearts 1-2 Celtic
As we mentioned, it all started at Hearts and in hindsight this was actually one of their toughest challenges of the entire campaign. Robbie Neilson’s side were eager to prove that they were up there with the likes of Aberdeen and Rangers this season and put in a committed performance in front of their home fans.
It seems funny to think of now but this is a match Hearts could have won, thereby ending the unbeaten league season before it even began.
It wasn’t until a debuting Scott Sinclair, who would go on to be arguably the most important Celtic player this season, netted a late winner that the points were secure. It would be the first step on a journey that some fans are calling the greatest season they’ve ever seen.
September 10th – Celtic 5-1 Rangers
Rangers arrived at Celtic Park in September in bullish mood. Having been promoted from the Scottish Championship, Mark Warburton’s side were actually gaining a bit of hype about them after the acquisitions of Joey Barton, Niko Krancjar and Philippe Senderos. Could the Light Blues possibly challenge Celtic having just been promoted? It’s a question that for Celtic fans seemed silly at the time and for the rest of Scottish football silly now.
The Hoops were in no mood to play around and put the Gers to the sword across the 90 minutes, surging to a 5-1 win thanks to Moussa Dembele who, with a hat-trick, made himself a Celtic icon forever more.
It was the first hat-trick in a match between the two sides since the 1970s and sent out an important marker that no-one was even going to get close to Brendan Rodgers’ side this season.
December 3rd – Motherwell 3-4 Celtic
By December, people were starting to whisper in hushed tones about the possibility of going of the entire season undefeated in domestic competition but it all threatened to come off the rails away to Motherwell at the start of that month.
A Louis Moult double put the Steelmen 2-0 up heading into the break and only a momentous comeback would salvage something for the Bhoys.
Callum McGregor pulled one back shortly after half-time before Patrick Roberts also netted. At 2-2, it looked like there would only be one winner before Lionel Ainsworth put ‘Well ahead yet again. Celtic showed incredible desire and scored in the 72nd and then the 90th minute to secure an unlikely win.
Fans leaving the stadium that day say this was the moment they felt invincible, that no team would be able to beat the Hoops this season.
December 31st – Rangers 1-2 Celtic
Despite taking care of Rangers easily at Celtic Park in September, then knocking them out at Hampden in the Scottish League Cups semi-final, there were still a few question marks about whether or not the Hoops could travel to Ibrox and come away unscathed.
If the first 25 minutes were anything to go by, those question marks were justified with Rangers going ahead 1-0 and looking like they could score more. Again, with their unbeaten record on the line, the Hoops had to dig deep and produce a comeback.
Moussa Dembele proved to be Rangers’ nemesis again with a rocket finish before Scott Sinclair capped off a flowing Celtic move to make it 2-1 and give the Hoops a massive Hogmanay victory at the home of their greatest rivals.
It not only preserved the unbeaten streak but also all but ended any hope that Rangers had of challenging for the league title. It was a memorable day for supporters, only to be bettered when the Hoops travelled to Ibrox again in April and blitzed a demoralised Rangers 5-1 in their own backyard.
February 5th – St Johnstone 2-5 Celtic
Celtic haven’t gone behind in matches many times this season, especially domestically, but St Johnstone are another of the teams who threatened to be the ones to finally end what was an ever-growing unbeaten domestic streak in February.
Having gone ahead in the game it looked like another routine for Brendan Rodgers’ side but a Keith Watson effort and a Dedryck Boyata own goal put Saints ahead 2-1. With an hour played it looked like it could be a frustrating off day for the champions.
Step forward Moussa Dembele who came off the bench to put in a masterclass and score an outstanding hat-trick in the last half an hour of the match.
Eventually the match finished 5-2 and like at Fir Park, like at Ibrox, the Hoops showed they were invincible.