Celtic took another step in the right direction as they attempt to win the Scottish Premiership title for the third season running with a 3-0 win over Hearts on Saturday.
The Hoops hosted the Jam Tarts at Parkhead and secured a comfortable victory in Glasgow, thanks to two first-half goals from Kyogo Furuhashi and a late penalty from Matt O'Riley.
Brendan Rodgers' side are bidding to ensure that they do not end the campaign without a trophy to show for their efforts, having been knocked out of Europe and the League Cup earlier this term, and have a huge match upcoming in the title race against Rangers next weekend.
One player who has played themselves into being undroppable for the Old Firm clash with his performances in recent weeks is forward James Forrest, who put in a fantastic display against Hearts.
James Forrest's performance against Hearts in numbers
The experienced winger was selected to line up on the left side of the attack on Saturday, with Daizen Maeda returning to the bench, and justified his selection with a fine showing.
Forrest, who was handed a match rating of 7/10 by the Daily Record, did not register a goal or an assist for his efforts throughout the afternoon against Steven Naismith's side but did offer quality in and out of possession.
The Scottish whiz had more touches (50) of the ball than Kyogo (20), who scored the first two goals for the Hoops, and this speaks to how frequently he got on the ball in an attempt to make things happen.
Minutes played
84
Sofascore rating
7.6
Key passes
2
Dribbles completed
3/4
Duels won
7/11
Tackles won
3
Pass accuracy
86%
As you can see in the table above, the right-footed speedster created two chances, was efficient in his dribble attempts, and worked hard for the team defensively to make tackles in order to break up Hearts attacks.
Why James Forrest is now undroppable
The 32-year-old Celtic star has stepped up in recent weeks with a string of superb performances on the flank, which is why he should now be undroppable for Rodgers heading into the clash with Rangers at Parkhead next Saturday.
In his last seven appearances for the Bhoys in all competitions, Forrest has racked up an eye-catching four goals and one assist for the Scottish giants.
Maeda – the manager's alternative option for the role on the left of the front three – has scored four goals and provided two assists in 23 Premiership starts this season.
This suggests that the Scotsman could, given his recent output in front of goal, offer more than the Japan international in the final third, which is why he deserves to keep his place in the team.
Forrest, who has won 52% of his ground duels in the league, also works hard for the team, as shown by his three tackles won on Saturday, to go along with his attacking actions.
The veteran forward should, therefore, be undroppable after his latest impressive showing on the left wing, given his superior attacking statistics in comparison to Maeda and red-hot form in the final third.
