Celtic booked their place in the quarter-finals of the Scottish Cup on Sunday, goals from Kyogo and Daizen Maeda counting towards a well-deserved victory away at St. Mirren. A standout performer for the Hoops, however, was playing at the opposite end of the park to the attacking duo.
Indeed, Joe Hart came up with several influential moments in the game. His save to deny Alex Gogic’s sensational overhead kick effort was particularly crucial.
With the Celts 1-0 up, things could have gone either way had the Cypriot internationalist found the back of the net. Hart stopped him in his tracks, though.
As well as remaining alert to shots, the veteran number one was also lively when crosses came into the Celtic area. He punched away several balls into the box, serving to alleviate pressure on his back four.
It is not just on the pitch that Hart is prominent, however, with his leadership qualities being praised by manager Brendan Rodgers post-match: “He’s a real catalyst for the team with the way he and Cal (McGregor) lead the dressing room”, he said (The Celtic Way).
“The saves he makes are so impressive. There were lots of crosses and lots of balls into the box but he was very clean.
“You always want keepers to catch but if they can’t then there’s a lot of distance on it. He did that very well more than a few times.
“It was another clean sheet for him and that was important.”
It doesn’t seem as though Hart will be the champions’ number one going into next season although he has come up with some colossal moments in recent weeks. His quality remains evident, and it is keeping Celtic in the title race and the cup.
