Scottish PremiershipSaturday, December 27, 2025Set Fare Arena, Livingston LIVINGSTON…2(Montaño 3 & 8) CELTIC…4(Nygren 6 & 31, Yang 10, Engels 40) Celtic ran out 4-2 winners away to Livingston this afternoon, with all six goals scored within the first 45 minutes of the game. There simply could not have been a more action-packed opening to today’s match, with no fewer than four goals scored before 10 minutes had been played. Livingston struck first, with Cristian Montaño picking up a Kieran Tierney pass which was meant for Arne Engels. The Livi forward burst in to the box and fired a shot high in to the net off of the post. Celtic quickly equalised when a well-delivered corner from Arne Engels was flicked on by Daizen Maeda towards Benjamin Nygren, who was only too happy to hammer the ball home from a few yards out. The breathless start to the match continued, and just moments later the home side had the lead and again, Montaño was again the Livi player wheeling away in celebration after lashing a volleyed effort in to the top corner to make it 2-1. By this point, it was almost easy to predict what would happen next, and true to form, the Hoops were level again within minutes. This time it was Yang who got his name on the scoresheet after Maeda had sent the ball in to the box. Both Yang and Johnny Kenny battled hard in the centre of the area, with Yang eventually pouncing on the loose ball to put it in the bottom corner. With the score level once again, the game settled after a frankly frantic start, and Celtic began to take control and create further opportunities, with Yang and Daizen Maeda both unlucky not to find the back of the net after some nice build-up play. The break in the fluctuating scoreline, however, proved to be nothing more than a brief interlude and with half an hour gone, Benjamin Nygren put Celtic ahead for the first time. Kieran Tierney picked him out on the edge of the box and the Swede unleashed a stunning left-footed finish which cannoned in to the net off of the post to make it 3-2. It wasn’t long before Wilfried Nancy’s men had the chance to extend the lead when referee Matthew MacDermid pointed to the penalty spot following a VAR review on a handball from Livi’s Daniel Finlayson, and Arne Engels stepped up and buried his spot-kick to give Celtic a 4-2 lead at the break. The second half very nearly started in the same manner as the first 45 minutes, with Johnny Kenny finding himself in a shooting position within seconds of the restart and Callum McGregor seeing a powerful effort from the edge of the area saved. With just shy of an hour played, a smart bit of defending from Auston Trusty was enough to cut out a dangerous cross in to the Celtic penalty area and preserve the Hoops’ two-goal lead, though there were some within the home support who were too hasty to celebrate, thinking the big American had turned the ball in to his own net. Luke McCowan soon found himself with a chance to get his name on the scoresheet when he broke forward at speed on the counter-attack. After showing some quick feet just inside the box to evade several Livingston defenders, the midfielder got a shot on target, though the keeper was able to make the save. With 20 minutes left, Viljami Sinisalo made a big save to prevent Cristian Montaño from claiming a hat-trick with a powerful strike from the edge of the area. Sinisalo was alert to the effort and was able to get both hands to the ball to keep Celtic’s two-goal advantage intact. As the match drew to a close, chances were few and far between for both sides, although Robbie Muirhead found himself with a big chance for Livingston in the 90th minute, but his driven effort from distance sailed high over the bar. Next up for Wilfried Nancy’s men is a trip to Fir Park on Tuesday night to face Motherwell where another three points would be the perfect way to end the year for the Hoops.
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