Hamilton Academical vs Celtic. Scottish Premiership.
The HopeCBD StadiumAttendance5,003.
Sunday 25 December 2016 18:52, UK
Celtic remain 14 points clear at the top of the Scottish Premiership as they cruised past 50 points for the season with a comfortable 3-0 Christmas Eve victory over lowly Hamilton at the Superseal Stadium.
The reigning Scottish champions had to play around 44 minutes with just 10 men, after Callum McGregor was harshly sent off after collecting a second yellow card for what appeared to be no more than a collision with Scott McMann.
There were barely three minutes on the clock when Celtic came close to taking the lead.
From a Leigh Griffiths corner, Erik Sviatchenko's header was nodded off the line by Rakish Bingham, with the ball reaching safety, but not before hitting the bar.
The ball was scrambled away again in the 11th minute, following another Griffiths corner, by which stage conditions in South Lanarkshire had deteriorated greatly with the players having to contend with rain, sleet and hail stones.
Although the visitors dominated possession, they struggled to conjure up too many opportunities during the opening 30 minutes.
Dougie Imrie had the first Accies effort on 36 minutes when his shot was easily dealt with by 'keeper Craig Gordon while, shortly afterwards, Griffiths ballooned the ball over the bar at the other end.
It was then the turn of defender Christian Gamboa to try his luck from distance, the ball curling inches past the Hamilton 'keeper's left post.
The breakthrough finally arrived five minutes before the interval when, from his own half, the quick thinking McGregor fed Griffiths who used his pace to sprint clear and slip the ball beyond the advancing Woods.
However, the goalscorer sustained a tight calf during the first half and did not return for the second, his place taken by 20-year-old Moussa Dembele.
But within 90 seconds of the re-start, Celtic were reduced to 10 men as McGregor departed for an early bath.
But the runaway leaders doubled their advantage thanks to an excellent strike by Stuart Armstrong, who collected Dembele's pass before locating the top left corner from 30 yards.
Gordon was called into action on the hour, diving to his left to push away a low Louis Longridge strike, while Dembele tested Woods a few minutes later.
Hamilton should have reduced the arrears in the 73rd minute when, from Ali Crawford's free-kick, substitute Eamonn Brophy headed over from close range.
Brophy's next attempt was blocked by Mikael Lustig before Dembele added a simple third goal on 84 minutes following James Forrest's assist.
