Celtic Defeat Livingston 4-2 To Close The Gap To Leaders Hearts | OneFootball

By Callum McFadden at Almondvale Stadium.

Celtic defeated Livingston 4-2 at the Set Fare arena to close the gap at the summit of the Scottish Premiership to three points.

Livingston took the lead inside the opening three minutes when Cristian Montano capitalised on a loose pass from Kieran Tierney, driving into the Celtic penalty area before unleashing a powerful strike into the roof of the net beyond the reach of a helpless Viljami Sinisalo.

Celtic responded swiftly, equalising in the seventh minute. Benjamin Nygren rose highest at the back post to head home from an Arne Engels corner, after Daizen Maeda had cleverly flicked the ball on into his path.

The visitors’ joy was short-lived, however, as Livingston regained the lead almost immediately from the restart. Montano struck again, emphatically smashing home from a Scott Pittman cross to restore his side’s advantage.

Once more, Celtic found an instant reply. Within a minute, the scores were level as Yang converted from close range after Danny Wilson failed to clear Maeda’s driven cross, allowing the forward to pounce inside the six-yard box.

Yang then missed a gilt-edged chance to give Celtic the lead for the first time in the match in the nineteenth minute, heading wide from an inviting Luke McCowan delivery.

Despite that missed opportunity, Celtic increasingly asserted their dominance in possession as the half progressed. Their pressure was finally rewarded on the half-hour mark when Nygren claimed his second goal of the afternoon, curling a precise finish off the right-hand post following a neat lay-off from Tierney.

Matters deteriorated further for Livingston shortly before the interval when Daniel Finlayson was adjudged, following a VAR review, to have handled the ball inside the penalty area from an Engels corner. Engels duly stepped up to convert the resulting spot-kick, sending Celtic into the break with a commanding two-goal advantage.

The second half began much as the first had ended, with Celtic dominating possession but finding clear-cut chances at a premium. Luke McCowan came closest to extending the lead, though his effort sailed high and wide of the target. Livingston’s best opportunity arrived in an unusual fashion, when an attempted clearance by Auston Trusty looped narrowly past his own post, momentarily threatening to turn into an own goal.

As the half progressed, both managers introduced a series of substitutions, and the contest gradually settled into a relatively subdued conclusion, with Celtic comfortably managing the game and limiting Livingston to few meaningful opportunities.

The victory marked Wilfried Nancy’s first away win as Celtic manager, as well as securing back-to-back victories for the first time during his tenure. Attention now turns to a trip to Fir Park to face Motherwell on Tuesday evening, before Celtic welcome Rangers to Celtic Park on January 3rd.

Substitutes: Hamilton, Susoho, Muirhead, McLennan, Winter, Bokila, Winter, Brenet, Lawal.