Magic Moussa: 5 of the best displays from Celtic’s striking star
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While Celtic’s incredible feats domestically and on the continent this season have been a team effort, the contributions of one exceptionally bright young talent, Moussa Dembele, have understandably caught the eye.
So, after back-to-back hat-tricks in his last two games, now seemed the ideal time for Ladbrokes News to doff our cap to the Hoops striking sensation, and look back at five of his key performances so far.
Celtic 5-0 Motherwell (League Cup, August 10)
After one goal in his opening six games, you’d have been forgiven for thinking young Moussa Dembele might take a little time to adapt to the intensity and physicality of Scottish football. But on a mild August night, the Frenchman really found his stride, netting an ice-cool penalty and a clinical close-range finish.
And it’s fair to say he hasn’t done too badly since.
Celtic 5-1 Rangers (Ladbrokes Premiership, September 10)
If he’d done nothing else, the former Fulham man would still have confirmed hero status by netting a hat-trick against the Hoops’ arch rivals in his first ever Glasgow derby. Here’s a chance to revisit them…
Celtic 3-3 Manchester City (Champions League, September 28)
The Citizens had been on a 10-game winning streak before their trip to Celtic Park, but they were brought down to earth by a fantastic display from the hosts – and in particular Dembele.
The rapid forward netted a clinical opener, before putting Celtic 3-2 up in the second period with a spectacular overhead kick. But his harrying of the Sky Blues’ defence was arguably as important as his goals.
Hamilton Academical 0-3 Celtic (Ladbrokes Premiership, December 24)
The 20-year-old’s class shone through in the toughest of conditions on Christmas Eve, as 10-man Celtic weathered the storm (literally – Storm Barbara!) to take all three points with an attacking masterclass at New Douglas Park.
Dembele set up Stuart Armstrong for visitors’ second, before slotting home superbly to make it 3-0 and wrap up the points for the Bhoys. Here’s another look at that…
St Johnstone 2-5 Celtic (Ladbrokes Premiership, February 5)
2-1 down away from home with 30 minutes left? It was a case of ‘don’t fear, Dembele’s here’ for fans of Brendan Rodgers’ side, with their number 10 chalking up a 24-minute hat-trick to turn a potential defeat into a comprehensive win.
His last was a typical inch-perfect strike, and fittingly capped off a sensational individual display.
Next up for Celtic is the visit of Motherwell on Saturday, with the Hoops just 1/9 to enjoy their 24th victory of the season.
Meanwhile, you can back Dembele at 11/8 to end the season as the Ladbrokes Premiership’s top scorer.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing
