Celtic 8 Aberdeen Women 0 ScottishPower Women’s Premier League New Douglas Park 15 January 2025 | 8PM
Aberdeen Women travelled south to Lanarkshire to face Celtic FC Women on Tuesday evening.
Braces from Hayes and Noonan and goals from Gallacher, Lawton, Clark and Smith gave Elena Sadiku’s Celtic side a convincing 8-0 victory over Scott Booth’s Dons.
Report
Captain Hannah Stewart dropped to the bench for the trip to New Douglas Park. In Stewart’s absence, Francesca Oglivie donned the captain’s armband.
The hosts stamped their authority on the match early doors and got themselves in front within 3 minutes. A corner whipped in from the right-hand side was met by the boot of Caitlin Hayes who slotted home for 1-0.
Celtic almost doubled their lead moments later from another corner, though this time Megan Sidey was able to make the save to keep the deficit at one.
The hosts then doubled their lead on 7 minutes. Amy Gallacher’s quick feet in the middle of the park bamboozled the Dons defence before she slipped Saoirise Noonan in on goal who kept her cool and fired the ball into the bottom right corner of the net.
Celtic continued to probe and should have had a third just minutes later when Morgan Cross got down the right-hand side before cutting the ball back, though the cross narrowly evaded Noonan in the penalty area.
The Dons created their first chance of the match in the 16th minute when Emily Kraft played a beautiful ball through for Holly McEvoy though her shot was well saved by Celtic keeper, Chloe Logan.
After that chance, the Dons appeared to grow in confidence on the ball, enjoying their best spell of the match in terms of possession, though, Celtic very nearly made it three goals to nil when, from a Carstens corner, Noonan attempted an acrobatic effort that flew just over the top.
In the 28th minute Celtic were awarded a penalty for a foul on Colette Cavanagh and the penalty was duly dispatched by Amy Gallacher to make it three nil to the hosts.
Nine minutes later and Celtic added a fourth through Noonan once again. After cannoning her first effort off the bar, Noonan was quickest to react to finish off the rebound with a bicycle kick.
The response to conceding the fourth was positive from Aberdeen, and they very nearly pulled one back just minutes later when Emily Kraft’s header was cleared off the line by Celtic skipper Kelly Clark.
Celtic added a fifth on the stroke of half time. A stroke of fortune led to the ball falling kindly for Caitlin Hayes who calmly slotted home to add her second of the game and Celtic’s fifth.
Half-time. Celtic 5-0 Aberdeen Women.
The hosts began the second half as they had finished the first, and very nearly grabbed their sixth on 47 minutes though Dons half time sub, Annalisa McCann, made a smart stop to keep the shot out at the back post.
Despite Aberdeen managing to limit the hosts’ chances to a premium early on, Celtic added a sixth in the 58th minute when Emma Lawton headed home from a corner via the aid of a deflection.
Throughout the next ten minutes or so, the Dons once again kept Celtic chances to a minimum with some resolute defending when called upon. On 70 minutes, Scott Booth made a quadruple change, with Stewart, Innes, Fraser and Murray replacing Oglivie, Thomson, McEvoy and Kraft.
5 minutes later however, Celtic added a seventh. Following a great initial save from McCann, Clark headed home from the resultant corner giving the Aberdeen keeper no chance of preventing the ball from hitting the back of the net.
It was then the turn of new recruit Ellie-May Cowie to produce some heroic defending for the Dons. Gallacher was picked out from a short corner with five minutes remaining and looked certain to fire goalward before Cowie managed to get a vital block on the shot to send the ball out for another corner.
McCann was called into action once more in the 88th minute when Noonan was played through on goal, with the Dons keeper preventing the striker from completing her hattrick late on with an excellent stop down to her right.
Celtic scored an eighth goal in stoppage time when Jennifer Smith tapped home from six yards to round off the scoring in what was a disappointing night for the Dons at New Douglas Park.
Full-time. Celtic 8-0 Aberdeen.
STATS:
Celtic: Logan, Ross, Gallacher, Carstens, Cavanagh, Clark, Cross, Hayes, Noonan, Ashworth-Clifford, Lawton
Subs: Rodgers, Barclais, Richardson, Smith, Costa, Munoz, Mcaneny
Aberdeen: Sidey (McCann 45’), Noble, Bruce, Jamieson, Gover, Oglivie (Murray 70’), McEvoy (Fraser 70’), Thomson (Innes 70’), Kraft (Stewart 70’), Cowie, Black
Subs not used: Edwards, MacPherson, Maclean, Elder
GOALS – Celtic: Hayes 3’ 45+3’, Noonan 7’ 37’, Gallacher 29’, Lawton 58’, Clark 75’, Smith 90+2’
