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WILL MATCH-WINNER JAMES FORREST KEEP HIS PLACE FOR HEARTS CHALLENGE?

Celtic restored their lead at the summit of the Premiership with a victory over Dundee at Dens Park that was anything but routine.


The reigning champions dominated the early stages of the game and a sweetly struck James Forrest volley put the Hoops in front in the first-half.


The experienced winger continued his career renaissance in the second-half as he latched on to a mishap at the back from the home side to slide it past Jon McCracken for Celtic's second.


A deflected Antonio Portales shot gave the Dark Blues a lifeline, but Celtic were able to ride out a late storm to take a massive three points in the title race.


With Daizen Maeda due to make a miraculous return to the first-team squad, one of the biggest selection dilemmas facing Brendan Rodgers is who should start on the wings against Hearts.


With the veteran Forrest flying over the last two weeks, surely he is deserving of a starting berth against the Jambos? If Maeda is fit then he will undoubtedly play, so would that push the inconsistent Nicolas Kühn on to the bench?


Based on form, Forrest and Maeda would be the natural selections for Rodgers, but the manager has confirmed that he will use Forrest sparingly in the run-in.


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Who were Celtic's star performers? And who needs to improve in the run-in? Here are ACSOM's player ratings from the weekend:


Joe Hart - 6


Tony Docherty mentioned post-match that no other Scottish team this season had recorded as many shots on target as Dundee had against Celtic on Sunday afternoon. Despite that statistic, Hart wasn't overly worked as he made a few routine saves throughout the contest and had no chance of saving Portales' goal.


Alistair Johnston - 6


Johnston had a quieter afternoon compared to some of his recent outings, but didn't have much problems defensively.


Cameron Carter-Vickers - 6


The American recovered well from a rare off day at Hampden as he was back to his usual self at Dens Park.


Liam Scales - 8


Scales came under a lot of criticism for his performance in the Scottish Cup semi-final, but he showed against Dundee why his position in the first-team is justified. The Irishman defended everything that came his way, including a goal-saving block to deny Amadou Bakakyoko.


Greg Taylor - 6


Taylor missed a massive chance to open the scoring early in the game, but despite a few nervy moments when defending aerially, it was a fairly routine performance for the full-back.



Callum McGregor - 5


McGregor looked like a player still recovering from injury as he seemed off the boil for his 60 minutes on the field. It was clear from this performance that the captain is yet to get back to his best since returning to the team.


Reo Hatate - 7


The Japanese playmaker struck the post in the second-half with a chance that could have killed off the game, but his role in Celtic's opening goal was pivotal in giving the Hoops the lead.


Matt O'Riley - 6


It was a fairly quiet afternoon for the Dane, whose influence on the game grew as the home side began to grow tired in the latter stages of the game.



Nicolas Kühn - 6


After a flying start to the game for the German, Nicolas Kühn was well contained by Burnley loanee Owen Dodgson, who nullified the winger's threat.


Kyogo Furuhashi - 6


Provided a great assist for Forrest's opener, whether he meant it or not, but for most of his time on the pitch, the Japanese striker struggled to match the physical presence of the Dundee defenders.


James Forrest - 8


Forrest is turning up at the most important time of the season, as he scored a cracking volley to open the scoring and forced a mistake to add his second of the game. It was a job well done for one of the most successful players in the club's history.



Substitutes


Adam Idah - 4


The Irishman was unlucky when Portales' shot ricocheted off him and beyond Joe Hart for Dundee's goal, but he offered Celtic a much-needed switch of dynamic in attack.


Tomoki Iwata - 5


Iwata kept things ticking over against Dundee when he replaced McGregor on the hour mark.


Luis Palma - 4


The Honduran was always looking to get forward and make thing happen in an attacking sense, but sometimes to the detriment of the team who were under a lot of pressure late in the game.


James McKenzie // @JamesWHMcKenzie

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