Celtic 1-0 Ross County: Johnston's deflected effort wins it for league leaders
- Published
Alistair Johnston's shot deflected past George Wickens to give Celtic all three points
Celtic "made it more difficult" for themselves with another penalty miss as they restored their five-point lead in the Scottish Premiership thanks to a narrow win over Ross County.
Alistair Johnston scored what proved to be the winner in the first minute with a shot from the edge of the box that took a wicked deflection and spun into the corner of the net.
Celtic could and should have scored more on an afternoon where Luis Palma had a spot-kick and retake saved - Celtic's fourth penalty miss from 10 this season - but Brendan Rodgers' side were far from their best.
The win maintains Celtic's five-point lead over Rangers, who have a game in hand, while County stay 11th.
"These can be tough games and we maybe made it a bit more difficult when we miss the penalties," manager Rodgers said.
"We made a great start with the early goal, which was really good, we force errors from them to get the penalties and I think the penalties maybe took a bit out the crowd and the team as well."
Rodgers' opposite number Derek Adams would have hoped for a response after such a poor showing last time out in the cup defeat by Partick Thistle, but it took only 56 seconds for Celtic to hit the front.
Johnston let fly after Liel Abada's shot was blocked, and his shot crept over the line to leave County goalkeeper George Wickens helpless and give the hosts a dream start.
It could have got even better just minutes later when Matt O'Riley's shot was parried into Paulo Bernardo's path, but the Portuguese midfielder somehow put his effort over the bar with the goal at his mercy.
Celtic continued to press and were given a golden chance to double their lead when Simon Murray tripped Callum McGregor in the box.
However, the league leaders' penalty woes this season continued, as Palma's weak spot-kick was easily saved by Wickens.
A video assistant referee check showed several County players encroaching, and a retake was ordered, but Palma could not take advantage, with his second effort also saved by Wickens.
The missed chances almost came back to haunt Celtic, but Will Nightingale could only head Yan Dhanda's corner against the bar after Joe Hart found himself in no-man's land.
In the second half Celtic continued to dominate possession, but they struggled to open County up from open play.
The longer it stayed at 1-0, the more you sensed there might be a sting in the tail, and the more grumbles came from the stands.
Indeed, County did have late chances to snatch a point, but Jordan White's tame effort was easily saved by Hart, and Josh Sims could only spoon his shot over the bar from close range.
Player of the match - Callum McGregor
On his 450th Celtic appearance, McGregor kept things ticking over in midfield, and did his utmost to drive his team on. He undoubtedly sets the standards for Rodgers' side
Celtic grind it out against improved County - analysis
When Celtic went in front as early as they did, against a side who have been as poor as County have recently, one would have been forgiven for expecting a procession.
It was far from that. Abada and Palma had cross after cross cut out, and the less said about Palma's penalties the better.
Perhaps a bigger concern for Celtic was that Kyogo Furuhashi was a passenger. The Japan striker is Celtic's biggest attacking threat, but he had just 16 touches in the game. They have to find a way to utilise his talents more.
Still, a win is a win, and Celtic are keeping Rangers at arm's length in the title race.
For County, Adams will take plenty of positives from this performance. His team played with structure and discipline, caused problems from set-pieces, and posed a threat on the break when they they were able to turn over possession.
They now have to find a way to deliver that level on a regular basis. If they do, they should be able to climb the table and alleviate any fears of relegation.
What the managers said
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers: "The second half was much better. We created opportunities but didn't take them and didn't concede many, but in any game that's 1-0 there can be a bit of anxiety, but the players handled it well."
Ross County manager Derek Adams: "It doesn't happen many times that a team comes here and has such good opportunities. We hit the bar, Joe Hart makes a great save towards the end and, on another day, we could have done better.
"I thought my players were magnificent today. Their work ethic - in and out of possession, they were very good. To come here and cause the Celtic crowd to panic a wee bit was what we tried to do."
What's next?
Celtic are away to Aberdeen on 3 February (12:30), while Ross County travel to Livingston on Tuesday (19:45).