The resurgence of Rangers restored the title battle in Scotland, but the supremacy of Celtic remained unscathed as the Hoops locked horns with Kilmarnock yesterday with a view to stretching their lead to eight points at the top of the Premiership standings. Although the contest at Rugby Park was trickier than most of their league encounters, the Bhoys were determined to bounce back from the European disappointment suffered against Valencia on Thursday night.
The outing, meanwhile, produced late drama when Brendan Rodgers’ men finally broke the deadlock in stoppage time against ten-man Killie. Skipper Scott Brown salvaged all three points before receiving his marching orders.
Below are the Celtic players rated in their dramatic win against Kilmarnock.
Scott Bain: 7
The custodian was not troubled much throughout the contest. Made a few routine saves and did not find it hard to maintain a clean sheet.
Jeremy Toljan: 5.5
Toljan, the Borussia Dortmund loanee, tried to make his impact high up the pitch with overlapping runs, link-up play and crosses. But the right fullback did not look influential enough in the attacking third and should have done better to combine with James Forrest using the width of the pitch.
Dedryck Boyata: 7.5
The Belgian looked solid defensively and did well to contain Eammon Brophy who was lively in and around the Celtic box. Had a late attempt denied by Daniel Bachmann in Killie goal minutes before Brown’s bizarre winner.
Kristoffer Ajer: 7
Looked a bit nervy at times but improved his game later on. Showed strength and aerial supremacy. Also impressed with his positioning in the heart of the Hoops’ backline.
Jonny Hayes: 7.5
Featured as a makeshift left-back in the absence of the injured Kieran Tierney. The Irishman looked a persistent threat with ambitious runs, crosses and pinpoint deliveries from the wide areas. He also covered a lot of ground while tracking back and tackling tirelessly to win back possession.
Scott Brown: 8
The skipper was the centre of attention during the second half. A high boot on Brown led to Kirk Broadfoot’s dismissal which put the hosts a man down. The veteran midfield general then found the net in the closing seconds when his deflected effort beat Bachmann. He then received his marching orders due to his wild celebration.
Callum McGregor: 6.5
The Scotsman was mostly busy in retaining possession in midfield and carrying the ball forward with box-to-box movements. McGregor dominated the midfield game but failed to create enough chances.
James Forrest: 6
Had a few half-chances from the right flank but lacked enough support from his teammates which stopped him from playing one-twos and creating space in a resilient Killie backline. Made way for Timo Weah late in the game.
Ryan Christie: 6.5
Was purposeful with his directness and positioning inside the box. Came close but failed to keep most of his efforts on target. Should work more on his set-piece skills, particularly while taking free-kicks from a distance.
Scott Sinclair: 6
Showed glimpses of his flashy skills, dribbling and tricky runs, but was not allowed enough space to cause menace from the left-hand flank. Combined well with Hayes at times. However, his final deliveries let him down on most occasions.
Odsonne Edouard: 5.5
Looked lively in early minutes but faded off with time and hardly troubled Bachmann in goal. Was taken off midway through the second half and got replaced by Oliver Burke for the remainder of the game.
Substitutes
Oliver Burke: 6.5
Made a positive impact with his pace, strength and movements inside the box.
Timo Weah: 6.5
Hit the woodwork in the final moments of the game.
