Daizen Maeda was a prominent Celtic performer again as Hoops turned in the winning ways against Hearts to bring closer to another title of the Scottish Prime Minister.
Brendan Rodgers was interested in Celtic to make changes to their old firm loss, and Maeda sent them to their way early when he fired low in the lower corner.
Shortly afterwards, Jota was waiting to collide at home, as the head of the international Japan crashed as Celtic sealed their authority in the game.
They were rampant and Maeda made him 30 goals this season he as returned from Nicolas Kuhn’s good cross to put them out of chances half of time.
Neil Critchley’s hearts fought against the champions who had the chance to prolong their lead, but they remain the sixth with two games to play before the Scottish Prime Minister was separated.
Magic Maeda
Celtic are inclined to offer Maeda a new deal and he told exactly why the club wants to keep it as he scored for the eighth consecutive match.
The hearts had made a living start and Viljami Sinisalo made a point stop by Lewis Neilson after a corner while the Finnish goalkeeper made his debut in the league instead of the injured Kasper Schmeichel.
Much of the early game was in half of the Celtic, but a penetrating action saw the hosts go from back to devastating fashion. Jeffrey Schlupp’s passage for the first time allowed McGregor’s callum to drive beyond the heart midfield and play the ball behind Neilson for Maeda to run. In front of the center gave a secure end with the right foot in the lower corner.
The hearts continued to push the men ahead, and Michael Steinwender fired not far from 25 yards before Maeda was involved again after Celtic doubled their lead in the 24th minute.
Jot of Celtic celebrates the note to make it 2-0
Maeda ran towards Nicolas Kuhn’s agile crossing over the top and sent a head back from the post before he was inserted to crash back home.
Schlupp forced a savings from Craig Gordon after a solo run before James Wilson loses the best chance of Hearts when he sent a free head out of six yards following a perfect cross by James Penrice.
Celtic again cut through the heart with a series of passing forwards as the three points ended in the 41st minute.
Maeda results to make it 3-0
Maik Nawrocki center defender began the movement and Reo Hatate stretched to send the ball to Kuhn to compete down the right arm. The German winger surrendered the 30th goal of the Maeda season on a plate with a perfect low cross in the remote post, where Celtic’s best pace had taken it.
Jota and Hatate threatened in front of the rest coach and hearts Neil Critchley seemingly chose the limitation of damage at half the time, removing the new Wilson Scotland striker and bringing protective midfielder Calem Nieuwenhof.
James Forrest of Celtic made his first appearance since December
McGregor forced a diving stop by former Gordon teammate but the second half was something of a non-event, though Rodgers took Paulo Bernardo and James Forrest again in action after the holidays.
Rodgers: ‘We wait for him to score!’
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Brendan Rodgers in the Daizen Maeda contract situation after the attacker scored two in his 150th Celtic appearance while they beat the hearts 3-0.
Celtic manager Brandan rodgers told Sky Sports News how important Maeda is for Celtic:
“If you look at his record over the course of the season after it is there, we expect him to score.
“He has been a real key player for us wherever he has played. And I’ve said many times that he can play in that central position, his penetration after, his game set in the main was good.
“This is a guy who has traveled halfway around the world to play (after duty in Japan), so I’m really happy with the performance in general.
“(His contract) is something with the club. I think the club will talk to its representatives and we will do whatever we can, but my concentration is on the team and football.
“He’s a top player. He’s still well contracted with the club, but he’s one of our best players, so we want to give him that value.”
Critchley gets ‘big heart’ from performance
Heart head Neil told Sky Sports News that he remains sure of a sixth end:
“I take a big heart from the way players played the game today.
“We have to do better the way we are trying to play for longer, and doing it against high opposition, and the only way you do this is to do it in the field.
“The players have done it, and the principles of how we play the game, I always want them to be how they were in the first half, and next week, so we will go and attack the game again.
“With other results that go the way they have gone today, it has not been very harmful to us, so we just have to continue from this game.”
