Match ends, Partick Thistle 0, Celtic 5.
Partick ThistlePartick Thistle0CelticCeltic5
Champions Celtic are one game away from an unbeaten Premiership season after a dominant victory over Partick Thistle.
Leigh Griffiths scored a penalty after Patrick Roberts had been fouled by Callum Booth.
Griffiths turned provider for Tom Rogic's close-range finish and Roberts netted a stunning third before the break.
Callum McGregor scored with a shot off the underside of the bar and Roberts then curled in his second.
Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers continued to rotate his squad but no strength was lost as the likes of captain Scott Brown and defender Erik Sviatchenko came in to give others a rest.
The swagger
From the moment referee Andrew Dallas blew his whistle it was Celtic at their scintillating best.
The swagger witnessed for most of this season was in evidence from a side that had at least four players who would not be considered first-choice picks.
The wide men in particular gave the Partick full-backs a torrid evening with Roberts looking completely unplayable at times. The man on loan from Manchester City floated and jinked past defenders all night.
McGregor and Brown provided the drive from the middle of the park - keeping the tempo high and their team-mates hungry. It was quite simply a side with complete belief in their abilities and evidence for anyone who needed it about just how far Celtic are ahead of the rest.
The goals
The opener came from the spot - Griffiths with his 17th of the season after Roberts was brought down by Booth.
The second was a rare scrappy effort from Rogic that bounced off both posts before nestling in the net.
Roberts' brilliance was rewarded when he curled in the third before the break. It followed fine build-up play on the edge of the box.
McGregor grabbed his fourth in five games as the clock ticked down in the second half. His effort smashed the crossbar and went over the line. The ball bounced out but the assistant referee called it in.
Roberts cloned his first and made it five with just minutes left. It was a fitting end to his and Celtic's night.
Like so many before them this season, the home side were simply outclassed. They had a couple of chances in the second half but in truth Celtic were toying with them for long spells. In terms of the season, their work was already done and it looked that way.
The records
It's 46 games unbeaten in all competitions, 104 league goals and a current total of 103 points.
The records just keep tumbling under Rodgers. The big one will be confirmed on Sunday if they can avoid defeat at home to Hearts at Celtic Park and become 'the invincibles'.
A draw or a win will give them their biggest points tally in a 38-game league season, with the Scottish Cup final against Aberdeen and the chance to complete a domestic treble following on 27 May.
Line-ups
Partick Thistle
Formation 4-2-3-1
- 1CernySubstituted forRidgersat 45'minutes
- 14Elliott
- 15Devine
- 5Lindsay
- 3Booth
- 6OsmanSubstituted forEdwardsat 45'minutes
- 13Barton
- 7Amoo
- 10ErskineSubstituted forAzeezat 69'minutes
- 11Lawless
- 9Doolan
Substitutes
- 16Azeez
- 17Keown
- 19Edwards
- 26McLaughlin
- 27Nisbet
- 30McCarthy
- 35Ridgers
Celtic
Formation 4-2-3-1
- 1Gordon
- 12Gamboa
- 28Sviatchenko
- 20BoyataSubstituted forK Touréat 63'minutes
- 3Izaguirre
- 8Brown
- 42McGregor
- 27Roberts
- 18Rogic
- 49ForrestSubstituted forBittonat 70'minutes
- 9GriffithsSubstituted forSinclairat 63'minutes
Substitutes
- 2K Touré
- 6Bitton
- 11Sinclair
- 26Bailly
- 56Ralston
- 63Tierney
- 88Kouassi
- Referee:
- Andrew Dallas
- Attendance:
- 7,847
Match Stats
Home TeamPartick ThistleAway TeamCeltic
- Possession
- Home36%
- Away64%
- Shots
- Home3
- Away25
- Shots on Target
- Home2
- Away13
- Corners
- Home1
- Away3
- Fouls
- Home11
- Away6
Live Text
Post update
Full Time
Second Half ends, Partick Thistle 0, Celtic 5.
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Corner, Celtic. Conceded by Danny Devine.
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Attempt blocked. Patrick Roberts (Celtic) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked.
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Attempt saved. Tomas Rogic (Celtic) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
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Erik Sviatchenko (Celtic) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
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Foul by Adebayo Azeez (Partick Thistle).
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Foul by Scott Brown (Celtic).
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Adam Barton (Partick Thistle) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
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Attempt saved. Adebayo Azeez (Partick Thistle) right footed shot from a difficult angle on the left is saved in the bottom left corner.
Goal!
Goal! Partick Thistle 0, Celtic 5. Patrick Roberts (Celtic) left footed shot from outside the box to the top left corner.
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Attempt saved. Tomas Rogic (Celtic) header from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom right corner.
Goal!
Goal! Partick Thistle 0, Celtic 4. Callum McGregor (Celtic) right footed shot from outside the box to the bottom right corner.
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Attempt missed. Nir Bitton (Celtic) right footed shot from outside the box is just a bit too high.
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Attempt missed. Scott Sinclair (Celtic) left footed shot from the left side of the box is close, but misses to the left.
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Attempt saved. Tomas Rogic (Celtic) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
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Callum McGregor (Celtic) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
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Foul by Steven Lawless (Partick Thistle).
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Attempt saved. Scott Sinclair (Celtic) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the top centre of the goal.
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Scott Brown (Celtic) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
