Celtic have been receiving plenty of plaudits for their win against Rangers at Ibrox yesterday and deservedly so.
Brendan Rodgers’ side was under severe pressure to ensure that they didn’t lose the game after poor performances in their last two outings against Kilmarnock and St Johnstone.
And it is fair to say the team delivered an outstanding performance to take all three points back to Glasgow’s east end.
Whilst Liam Scales, Kyogo Furuhashi and Alistair Johnston have been the focal point for much of Celtic’s praise, Matt O’Riley’s brilliant performance in the green and white hoops seems to have gone under-the-radar.
The 22-year-old was credited with an assist after his header put Kyogo clean through on goal to score the winner, but that is not all that he did during the match.
O’Riley showed the two different sides to his game that have endeared him to the Celtic fans.
According to WhoScored, the Danish u21 international completed four tackles, two interceptions and one clearance as he chipped in on the defensive duties.
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The youngster also made two key passes to compliment his assist and made 40 passes with an 85% success rate. He was also given a rating of 8.06 for his role in the win.
Interstingly, O’Riley is the top-performing player in the last six Glasgow Derbies. Rated at an average of 7.76, the midfielder seems to thrive in this match for Celtic.
It is little wonder he was the subject of some transfer interest on deadline day this summer as O’Riley has shown, that when it comes to the big games, he turns up and performs consistently for his team.
In other news, ‘Obviously’: Brendan Rodgers suggests 23-year-old Celtic player needs to start being quicker on the ball