Celtic had to produce a stirring late comeback against Ross County in Dingwall as goals from Alistair Johnston and Nicolas Kuhn cancelled out Ronan Hale’s first-half penalty to secure maximum points.
In what was their third consecutive match on the road, Brendan Rodgers’ sluggish side simply weren’t at the races during the first-half in the Highlands and were given a wake-up call after falling behind at the break through Hale’s retaken spot-kick. Referee Kevin Clancy pointed to the spot following a VAR review after Michee Efete’s cross struck the arm of defender Liam Scales in the box.
Visiting keeper Kasper Schmeichel saved Hale’s initial penalty, but the Danish No.1 was deemed to have moved off his line too early which allowed the County strike to step up again and convert at the second time of asking.
That marked the first goal Celtic had conceded domestically this season. But an inspired triple substitution just beyond the hour mark swung the game in the champions favour with Kyogo Furuhashi, Paulo Bernardo and Luke McCowan all coming off the bench to make an instant impact and inject some much-needed invention into the side.
The Hoops had looked rather fatigued following their European exploits in Dortmund earlier this week with big money signing Arne Engels, Daizen Maeda and Adam Idah failing to impress.
The leveller did eventually arrive after 76 minutes when Callum McGregor’s ferocious effort cannoned off right-back Johnston and wrong-footed Ross Laidlaw in the County goal.
And the hosts were sliced open by a perfectly-weighted Johnston pass with two minutes of stoppage time remaining, allowing German wide man Kuhn to speed down the right flank before cutting inside and fire a sweet strike into the far corner of the net.
Following a relentless run of fixtures, Celtic will now head into the international break with their 100% record still in tact, which for their large travelling contingent was the most important thing. Here’s how GlasgowWorld rated the Celtic players.
1. Kasper Schmeichel - 6/10
Didn't have a great deal to do. Made a good initial penalty save but had to be retaken after stepping off his line too soon. Almost caught out from an attempted lob which struck the woodwork. | Getty Images
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2. Alistair Johnston - 8/10
One of the best players on the park. Broke forward at will and offered a great outlet down the right-hand side. Dealt with any threat down his flank, grabbed a goal and a perfectly-weighted pass through for Kuhn's late winner. | SNS Group
3. Liam Scales - 6/10
Solid once again. Didn't do anything out of the ordinary. Defended well, won the majority of his aerial duels and confident with the ball at his feet. Conceded the penalty after being penalised for handball. | SNS Group
4. Auston Trusty - 5/10
Doesn't look comfortable being left-footed and slotting in at right centre half. Often took an extra touch to move the ball onto his favoured foot which frustrated the travelling fans but came through the 90 minutes okay. Still looks to be finding his feet in this team. | SNS Group