Matchday 8 of the Scottish Premier League witnessed an unlikely upset when Livingston FC defeated Celtic FC by two goals to nil in front of their delighted home fans. The game was played at a packed Almondvale Stadium in Livingston on Sunday afternoon, 6th October.
Celtic came into the match one Point Clear nearest rivals Glasgow Rangers FC who are on 18 points from seven games. The hoops were looking for their seventh win of the season, which would have taken them to 22 points on the league table.
The game started with Celtic trying to make inroads into the Livingston defense. Still, the away side handed the initiative to the Lions when in the 26th-minute hoops midfielder Ryan Christie was given a straight red card reducing his team to 10 men. Celtic were able to ward off the attacking threat of the Lions until half-time. At the beginning of the second half, the Livingston players came out more invigorated as a result of their more illustrious visitors being down to ten men.
It wasn’t long before Gary Holt’s players finally breached the Celtic defense when Livingston midfielder Scott Robinson scored in the 47th minute of an assist by fellow midfielder Robbie Crawford. However, the day only got better for the home side when Australian striker Lyndon dykes scored in the 73rd minute to condemn the defending champions to their first league defeat of the season. The Victory Lifts Livingston to 6th on the table with 11 points from eight games.
This first loss of the season leaves the Celts looking over their shoulders after uncharacteristic poor displays over the past two weeks in the league. Celtic coach Neil Lennon will be hoping his Men can come back from the international break fully recharged so they can get back to winning form.
The Scottish champions’ next match will be against Ross County FC on the 19th of October at Celtic Park Stadium. The game cannot come any sooner so that Neil Lennon’s men can have a chance to go out of their mini-slump and claim Victory to put them back on course to claim their 51st league title.
Celtic will need to get back on track with a win against Ross Country in their next game. Celtic FC are priced at 1.20 to win, while Ross Country are pegged at 15.26.
Written by: Ayotunde Omolayole
