Alistair Johnston’s first-minute goal saw off stubborn Ross County as Celtic restored their five-point lead in the Scottish Premiership.
The Canada defender’s shot from the edge of the box took a wicked deflection and spun into the corner with County goalkeeper George Wickens helpless.
Celtic could and should have scored more on an afternoon where Luis Palma twice a penalty, but Brendan Rodgers’ side were far from their best against the Highlanders.
The win maintains Celtic’s gap over Rangers, who have a game in hand, while County stay 11th.
Derek Adams would have hoped for a response after such a poor showing last time out in the cup defeat to Partick Thistle, but it took just 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 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 VAR check showed several Ross 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
Analysis – Celtic grind it out against improved County
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: “These can be tough games and we maybe made it a bit more difficult when we miss the penalties.
“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.
“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 we take from the game is how well we were organised, how well we played on the counter-attack and the chances we created.”
What’s next?
Celtic are away to Aberdeen on 3 February (12:30), while Ross County travel to Livingston on Tuesday (19:45).
Line-ups
Celtic
Formation 4-3-3
- 1Hart
- 2Johnston
- 20Carter-VickersSubstituted forNawrockiat 64′minutes
- 5Scales
- 25Bernabéi
- 33O’Riley
- 42McGregor
- 28Gonçalves BernardoBooked at 23minsSubstituted forTurnbullat 89′minutes
- 11AbadaSubstituted forJohnstonat 76′minutes
- 8Furuhashi
- 7PalmaSubstituted forKühnat 64′minutes
Substitutes
- 10Kühn
- 14Turnbull
- 15Holm
- 17Nawrocki
- 29Bain
- 39Vata
- 56Ralston
- 57Welsh
- 90Johnston
Ross County
Formation 4-5-1
- 40Wickens
- 4BrownBooked at 15mins
- 28Ayina
- 35Nightingale
- 3Borthwick-Jackson
- 19KhelaSubstituted forHarmonat 61′minutes
- 21Jenks
- 18KingSubstituted forSimsat 80′minutes
- 14Loturi
- 10Dhanda
- 15MurraySubstituted forWhiteat 68′minutes
Substitutes
- 1Laidlaw
- 11Sims
- 12Sheaf
- 16Harmon
- 17Henderson
- 26White
- 27Brophy
- 43Reid
- Referee:
- Euan Anderson
- Attendance:
- 58,850
Live Text
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Match ends, Celtic 1, Ross County 0.
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Second Half ends, Celtic 1, Ross County 0.
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Attempt missed. Josh Sims (Ross County) right footed shot from the right side of the box is just a bit too high following a set piece situation.
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Foul by Callum McGregor (Celtic).
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Victor Loturi (Ross County) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
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Attempt missed. Callum McGregor (Celtic) left footed shot from the right side of the box is high and wide to the left. Assisted by Alistair Johnston.
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Foul by David Turnbull (Celtic).
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Loick Ayina (Ross County) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
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Attempt saved. Jordan White (Ross County) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom left corner. Assisted by Josh Sims.
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Corner, Ross County. Conceded by Liam Scales.
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Substitution, Celtic. David Turnbull replaces Paulo Bernardo.
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Foul by Paulo Bernardo (Celtic).
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Loick Ayina (Ross County) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
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Kyogo Furuhashi (Celtic) wins a free kick on the right wing.
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Foul by Cameron Borthwick-Jackson (Ross County).
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Substitution, Ross County. Josh Sims replaces Eli King.
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Attempt missed. Matt O’Riley (Celtic) left footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses the top right corner from a direct free kick.
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Kyogo Furuhashi (Celtic) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
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Foul by Loick Ayina (Ross County).
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Substitution, Celtic. Mikey Johnston replaces Liel Abada.
Player of the match
KingEli King
Celtic
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Squad number5Player nameScales
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Squad number1Player nameHart
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Squad number20Player nameCarter-Vickers
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Squad number33Player nameO’Riley
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Squad number2Player nameJohnston
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Squad number42Player nameMcGregor
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Squad number11Player nameAbada
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Squad number28Player namePaulo Bernardo
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Squad number25Player nameBernabéi
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Squad number17Player nameNawrocki
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Squad number10Player nameKühn
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Squad number8Player nameFuruhashi
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Squad number14Player nameTurnbull
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Squad number90Player nameJohnston
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Squad number7Player namePalma
Ross County
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Squad number18Player nameKing
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Squad number40Player nameWickens
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Squad number35Player nameNightingale
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Squad number28Player nameAyina
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Squad number4Player nameBrown
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Squad number3Player nameBorthwick-Jackson
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Squad number19Player nameKhela
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Squad number10Player nameDhanda
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Squad number21Player nameJenks
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Squad number15Player nameMurray
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Squad number14Player nameLoturi
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Squad number16Player nameHarmon
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Squad number11Player nameSims
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Squad number26Player nameWhite