‘Grown and grown as a player’: BBC pundit stunned by Celtic 21-year-old in rout of Rangers

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Celtic midfielder Matt O’Riley earned huge praise from BBC Sport pundit Pat Nevin for his display against Glasgow Rangers.

Ange Postecoglou’s Hoops ran riot over their bitter rivals at Celtic Park in a 4-0 win.

Celtic suffered an early blow as Kyogo Furuhashi had to come off, but this did not phase the Premiership champions.

O’Riley flicked the ball on to Liel Abada from Jota’s throw-in.

Though Rangers goalkeeper Jon McLaughlin got a touch on his shot, he could not keep the ball out.

Just after the half-hour mark, Jota made it two.

The Portuguese winger picked up the ball from O’Riley and chipped over McLaughlin into the empty net.

And five minutes before the break, Abada fired low into the net for his second of the afternoon.

Substitute David Turnbull then got handed a goal on a silver platter, McLaughlin accidentally gifting him the ball.

O’Riley, who was credited with two assists but could’ve had three, earned praise from Nevin on BBC Radio 5 Live.

“At the moment, Celtic are very impressive going forward,” he said (12:58).

“Matt O’Riley in particular has grown and grown as a player.”

The 21-year-old put in a sensational display, particularly in the first half – he seemed to be pretty much everywhere.

O’Riley’s passing, awareness, touch, and movement were all spot on, not to mention his assists.

Celtic have got themselves an absolute gem.