Celtic were back at their best on Saturday afternoon as they demolished St Mirren by winning 5-0.
The Hoops had found life tough in midweek when they drew 2-2 with Livingston but Leigh Griffiths was the star of the show on this occasion, earning a rave review from Jonathan Sunderland of the BBC.
What’s he said?
Griffiths didn’t start against Livi a few days ago as Mohamed Elyounoussi was preferred beside Odsonne Edouard in attack.
However, chosen to lead the line on Saturday, he put in a devastating performance as he stuck a hat-trick past Celtic’s opponents. Resultantly, they opened up the gap between them and Rangers at the top of the SPFL to a colossal 16 points.
The Bhoys are now surely on the verge of winning a ninth successive title and they owe much of their recent form to Griffiths. He’s now scored seven times in 2020 alone.
Speaking about his performance and the forward’s role at Celtic Park, Sunderland said on the BBC:
“Griffiths could not be coming to the boil at a better time, with Celtic closing in on a ninth title in a row, a showdown with Rangers next weekend, and massive matches for Scotland now only weeks away.
“He looks sharp and hungry again, and that wand of a left foot will always be with him. The best compliment you can pay him is that he is now starting to look like the Griffiths of old.”
Back with a bang
This marks the height of Griffiths’ last few years as a footballer. In December 2018 it was revealed that he’d be taking leave to sort out some personal issues in his life.
At one point it appeared as though his future in Glasgow was in doubt despite penning new terms in September 2018.
However, he’s shown to be a valuable asset in the title race this season, proving his worth to the Scottish Premiership and Neil Lennon.
He’s proven a lot of people wrong with his displays and this summed up everything Griffiths is – hungry and resilient.
The 29-year-old has scored 11 times this season in 31 games. On top of that, he’s racked up four assists from a centre forward position.
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Suffering from an injury in the opening months of the campaign, he now truly looks back to his best. So far this calendar year, he has seven strikes and three assists in ten league appearances.
He is coming to the boil at the perfect time for Neil Lennon as they close in on yet another title.
Meanwhile, plenty of Celtic fans were left FUMING with one man despite winning 5-0…