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LEIGH GRIFFITHS says he thought his first goal of the half against Rangers was all the way down as he lamented the stoppage of ‘world class’ Allan McGregor who denied him a chance to give Celtic a deserved lead in the Old derby Firm.
Griffiths and his teammates were left kicking after failing to turn their dominance to an advantage at Ibrox, ultimately losing the game following Nir Bitton’s red card and Callum McGregor’s unfortunate own goal.
But while Griffiths insisted that Bitton’s red card, wrongly given in his opinion, changed the course of the match, he says Celtic are only to blame for the 19-point gap that now exists between the sides.
All of that could have been so different if his 25-yard curling effort had found the top corner in the first half during Celtic’s spell on top, but Griffiths wasn’t surprised to see his former Scotland teammate reach somehow. the ball to the outside. of the post.
“I thought it was inside,” Griffiths said. “But he is a world class goalkeeper. That’s what it brings you, it earns you points.
“Couldn’t have hit him sweeter. He grabbed it with the tips of his fingers and hit the post. Listen, it was an opportunity for me and I never let it go. We train hard this week, reflect and be ready for Hibs next Monday.
“Was [an opportunity missed]. Because the first half has been the best we’ve played all season. And I don’t think the Rangers have shot on goal in the entire game.
“It’s disappointing, but it’s the games at the beginning of the season that have killed us to be honest. The beginning of the season was not good enough. If we had been doing performances like that, we would not be in this position. ”
Griffiths’ feeling of regret for the way Celtic played between mid-October and early December is only reinforced by the way they are performing now, after belatedly hitting each other.
“It is not just the performance of the first half today, we have been playing very well the last few weeks,” he said.
“In the first half we were unlucky not to be a couple of goals ahead. At half-time we regrouped and went out to play in the same way.
“I think the red card changed the game. We had not played well in the first months of the season, but then we started to gain momentum in early December.
“Today we feel confident and we play well, until I was sent off I thought we were a much better team.
“Once again, the red card is a complete game changer and the Rangers have been in the lead ever since.
“For me I think it’s soft. He has a long way to go, Kris Ajer has also been covering. But it’s done and we can’t do anything about it.
“Whether he is right or wrong is up to him [the referee]. Only he can come and explain his decision, but for me it’s soft. ”
Despite the huge gap with Rangers at the top of the Premiership, Griffiths says no one in the Celtic locker room is prepared to admit that their 10 dreams in a row are over.
“Listen, we will keep fighting until the end until it is mathematically impossible for us to win the league,” he said.
“We will walk away, we will reflect on it, we will work hard and prepare for Hibs.”
“Losing any game is difficult to accept. We dominate the game, especially the first half. But if you don’t risk it, you won’t win games.
“The boys are all injured there.”
No one, according to Griffiths, was more hurt than Bitton, who stayed to reflect on his contribution to the loss after being caught on the wrong side of Alfredo Morelos.
But Griffiths says his disappointment is shared among the team and that his teammates will pick him up as they now travel to Dubai to prepare for the second half of the season.
“He hasn’t said much,” Griffiths said. “And all the guys down there are devastated by the result.
“I’m sure he will tell us what he thinks behind this.”
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