Celtic vs Partick Thistle. Scottish Cup Fifth Round.
Celtic ParkAttendance24,191.
Saturday 10 February 2018 18:54, UK
James Forrest hit a hat-trick as Celtic overcame Partick Thistle 3-2 to reach the Scottish Cup quarter-finals.
In a whirlwind start to the lunchtime encounter, the Hoops winger scored twice in the opening stages (3, 10) before a mistake by defender Jozo Simunovic allowed Jags striker Kris Doolan to pull one back.
Forrest fired in his third in the 53rd minute to restore the hosts' cushion but in the 84th minute Jags substitute Conor Sammon, on for Doolan, fired in a second for the spirited visitors.
It was not enough to prevent the holders going into Sunday's quarter-final draw but Hoops manager Brendan Rodgers may be concerned with some defensive frailties ahead of the first leg of their Europa League tie against Russian side Zenit St Petersburg on Thursday.
Before kick-off there was a minute's silence in tribute to former Celtic midfielder Liam Miller who died on Friday after a battle with cancer aged 36.
Thistle were in trouble within minutes of the kick-off, when a loose ball from defender Baily Cargill conceded possession to Scott Brown. The Celtic skipper instantly knocked the ball forward and when striker Moussa Dembele's shot was blocked, Forrest pounced for his 14th goal of the season.
His second came just seven minutes later when he picked the ball up on the halfway line and ran almost unimpeded to the edge of the Thistle box before checking and driving past Tomas Cerny.
But Thistle were handed an unexpected route back into the game in the 20th minute when Simunovic, back in for the injured Dedryck Boyata, fluffed a back-pass and watched the alert Doolan loft the ball over Dorus de Vries.
The Jags were rejuvenated but found themselves two goals adrift again eight minutes after the restart, Scott Sinclair collecting a Kieran Tierney pass inside the box and cutting back for Forrest to squeeze in for his hat-trick.
The goal deflated the visitors and Celtic continued their search for more goals. Dembele fired just wide from outside the penalty area in the 72nd minute before Sinclair drove straight at Cerny when he only had the former Hamilton keeper to beat.
But again, Thistle unexpectedly came back.
With six minutes remaining, Sammon took a Chris Erskine pass and held off Simunovic before hooking a right-footed shot past De Vries and into the far corner of the net.
And there was the hint of even more drama in three minutes of added time when a fine cross from Erskine almost fell for Ryan Edwards inside the six-yard box before De Vries gathered to prevent a replay.
