Roy Keane has commented on Celtic’s 3-3 draw with Manchester City.
Republic of Ireland assistant coach Roy Keane
Former Celtic midfielder Roy Keane has told ITV Sport’s Champions League Highlights show that he felt the Bhoys were ‘outstanding’ against Manchester City on Wednesday night.
Celtic lost their opening game of the group stage 7-0 at the hands of Barcelona, but turned in a superb performance against Premier League leaders Manchester City.
Celtic’s Moussa Dembele celebrates scoring their third goal
Moussa Dembele diverted the ball home to give Celtic the lead inside the first three minutes of the game, but Fernandinho quickly equalised for Pep Guardiola’s side.
After Raheem Sterling had diverted Kieran Tierney’s cross into his own net, the England international hit back to make it 2-2, with Dembele and Nolito trading goals in the second half to wrap up a 3-3 draw.
Celtic’s performance stunned many, as they ended Guardiola’s ten-game winning run in all competitions, and the point will give Brendan Rodgers hope of guiding the Bhoys either into the next round of the Champions League or into the Europa League with a third-place finish.
Manchester City’s Raheem Sterling in action with Celtic’s Scott Brown
After the final whistle, former Celtic midfielder Roy Keane – who blasted Rodgers’ men for their performance against Barcelona earlier this month – actually praised the Bhoys this time around.
Keane told ITV Sport’s Champions League Highlights show that he thought Celtic were ‘outstanding’ against City, and heaped praise on striker Dembele for his two-goal performance as he continues to impress following his summer move from Fulham.
Keane added that midfielder Scott Brown could have done better in the build-up to Manchester City’s second goal, as whilst Dembele’s pass was a little short, Keane felt a strong, experienced midfielder like Brown should never have lost possession.
Republic of Ireland assistant manager Roy Keane
“Outstanding,” said Keane when asked about Celtic’s performance. “It was a really good game, both teams were going for it. Celtic had the ideal start by scoring early, that obviously got the fans behind them and gave them something to hold on to. Dembele was outstanding. To score three goals against Manchester City is never easy, and City showed their quality as well, but much better from Celtic, outstanding.”
“I think he ends up arguing with Dembele about the ball back to him, but if you’re Scott Brown – a strong midfielder – then you don’t lose the ball there, and of course, a good team will take advantage of that,” he added.
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