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Celtic found their shooting boots after the break to beat an exhausted Hamilton team 3-0 and keep the Rangers in their sights.
Accies was left without 10 players due to injury or Covid-19, but on a wet and windy Boxing Day in Lanarkshire, the home side held firm to their task in a goalless first half.
However, Hoops forward Odsonne Edouard scored a penalty that he won four minutes after the restart and then set Leigh Griffiths to shoot in one second in the 55th minute.
Midfielder David Turnbull scored in the 74th minute from close range to help keep Neil Lennon’s team 16 points behind the Rangers at the top of the Premiership with three games in hand.
FULL MATCH DETAILS
It was a further step towards Old Firm’s long-awaited match at Ibrox on January 2, although both Celtic and Rangers have midweek matches before that against Dundee United and St Mirren respectively.
Brian Rice will be pleased with the efforts of his makeshift team, especially in the first half.
He had goalkeeper Kyle Gourlay in his second league start when he replaced the injured Ryan Fulton.
The Accies boss made other changes with Jamie Hamilton, Andy Winter and Charlie Trafford back.
For the visitors, Nir Bitton and Greg Taylor replaced Diego Laxalt and Christopher Jullien, the French defender totally eliminated.
Griffiths started again alongside Edouard and the hitting duo combined after two and a half minutes to leave the Scottish forward with just Gourlay to beat, but the Accies goalkeeper made a good save from the short line.
Celtic had almost total control in the worsening conditions and Bitton headed a couple of Ryan Christie corners over the bar.
In the 19th minute, a Griffiths header from a tremendous Jeremie Frimpong cross hit the post and was cleared and moments later Gourlay threw a 25-yard shot from Griffiths over the crossbar for a corner that was again defended hard.
Edouard hit a drive over the bar from 16 yards in the 34th minute and Turnbull had a low drive just before the break saved by Gourlay, who then thwarted Edouard, who landed a bunt on a Turnbull shot.
Hamilton had gotten more into the game, evidenced by Winter’s 30-yard strike that flew wide.
However, all his good work was undone when referee Don Robertson judged that Accies defender Aaron Martin had fouled Edouard, and the Hoops forward shot his penalty over Gourlay.
Celtic relaxed and Turnbull fired a long shot past the post, while Gourlay saved Christie’s shot from close range.
Griffiths then jerked in a second from 16 yards after receiving a pass from Edouard to effectively seal the points.
Turnbull’s goal came after Edouard’s header from a Callum McGregor cross bounced off the post, the former Motherwell midfielder in hand to cross the line from eight yards, and the visitors crossed the final stages.
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