Celtic came from two goals down to pull off a heroic 3-2 win over Kilmarnock at Rugby Park on Sunday afternoon.
Tyreece John-Jules followed up his midweek hat-trick to break the deadlock on 20 minutes with an impressive strike that gave Kasper Schmeichel no chance. The in-form centre-forward then proved provider shortly after, setting up January signing Joe Hugill, who nodded a looping header over Schmeichel for 2-0.
On his 300th competitive game as Celtic manager, Martin O’Neill made a trio of halftime changes, as Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Tomas Cvancara, and Sebastian Tounekti replaced Reo Hatate, Junior Adamu, and Yang Hyun-jun.
The latter alteration proved particularly impactful, as Tounekti unleashed a wonder-strike into the top-right corner 10 minutes after being introduced to half the deficit. Benjamin Nygren then drew the visitors level after the hour mark, capitalising on a loose ball in the box to finish from close range.
As the clock ticked deep into injury time, a flashed ball across the face was slammed home by Julian Araujo for his first Celtic goal. Jubilant scenes were sparked in a raucous away end as the visitors secured three seismic points.
These are the kind of victories that win you league titles.
Here are the key talking points from Rugby Park…
Slow Celtic start punished by impressive Kilmarnock
There was a sense of trepidation among the Celtic support heading into the match given Kilmarnock’s recent upturn in form and by the half-hour mark, those concerns had only multiplied.
The hosts were mightily impressive in the game’s infancy, with the high press implemented by Neil McCann proving effective. Celtic struggled to get out and on one of the few occasions that they did, they were punished on the counter attack. The in-form John-Jules initially stumbled, but soon steadied himself to cut inside on his right-foot and clinically whip the ball into bottom corner of Kasper Schmeichel’s goal.
Seven minutes later, Killie were at it again. This time around, John-Jules proved provider, hanging up an impressive cross from which Hugill looped a header over Schmeichel. Whether the veteran goalkeeper could have done better is up for debate. After going two ahead, while Celtic naturally tried to respond, Kilmarnock looked dangerous on the counter. David Watson, ever impressive in the opening stages, looked to catch Schmeichel off guard from range as other also went close.
It was only the second time Celtic had gone behind domestically under O’Neill although unlike against Dundee last week, their powers of recovery were absent this time.
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Midfield concern
Celtic’s midfield has not been fully functional all season long. Brendan Rodgers and Wilfried Nancy both struggled to find the perfect balance of personnel that helped the team control games, and O’Neill faces a similar issue. Despite his goalscoring exploits, Benjamin Nygren can often be like a man down, with Reo Hatate failing to capture the imagination throughout the campaign. Captain Callum McGregor started alongside the pair in an engine room that was once more out of sorts.
Pre-match confirmation that Arne Engels is set to remain sidelined until the end of March no doubt adds to the concerns. When Oxlade-Chamberlain came on at the break, however, things improved. The Englishman is a cut above but relying on him to help aid a dysfunctional midfield is not the most sustainable of ideas.
O’Neill’s half-time changes inspire mammoth Celtic comeback
To be a fly on the Celtic dressing room wall at half time would have been engrossing. Two down and deservedly so, O’Neill had seen enough at the break and replaced Hatate, Yang, and Adamu with Oxlade-Chamberlain, Tounekti, and Cvancara.
All three substitutes made a positive impact on proceedings. Tounekti halved the deficit with a goal of the season contender on 56 minutes, with the Czech striker providing much more of a focal point up top than the man he replaced. In the engine room, Oxlade-Chamberlain brought quality, experience, and ball retention.
O’Neill rolled the dice at the break and the right numbers came up. Trying to recall the last time his side had a complete 90-minute performance, though, is about as difficult as a Harvard entry exam. Time will tell whether their inconsistent displays cost them come May.
Adamu first start verdict
Drafted in for his first Celtic start, Adamu was preferred to fellow January arrival Cvancara through the middle up top. It was the Austrian’s third appearance in green and white, after he came off the bench in recent wins over Dundee and Livingston, scoring a heroic and equally crucial late leveller against the former. Daizen Maeda and Yang Hyun-jun played either side of Adamu in Celtic’s front three.
The number nine, on loan from Bundesliga side Freiburg, had his side’s first real opportunity in the match, nodding a looped header off target after Kieran Tierney’s in-swinging corner. He failed to provide a real focal point in attack and had another tame header towards the end of the first 45 held comfortably by Kelle Roos.
At the break, O’Neill had seen enough. Adamu failed to grasp his opportunity and was hooked at half-time in place of Cvancara. After a promising start to life in green and white last weekend, the 24-year-old has soon faded.
Celtic the real winnners on crucial weekend
Regardless of the result in Govan later this afternoon, Celtic are the real winners this weekend. They will gain points on one, or perhaps even both, of Rangers and Heart of Midlothian thanks to their victory in Ayrshire. As each round of Premiership fixtures go by, O’Neill continues to repair the damage caused by Nancy during his disastrous 33-day tenure, across which 12 league points were dropped.
In a season that has entailed countless peaks and troughs for all three of the title contenders, Celtic are quietly gaining consistency. The triumph over Kilmarnock marks only the second time in 2025/26 that they have won five matches on the spin. Granted the recent fixture card has been kind to the Celts, they can only beat what is in front of them.
Things are only set to ramp up in the coming weeks, though, with domestic matches against Hibernian, Rangers, Aberdeen, and high-flying Motherwell on the horizon, alongside a Europa League knockout tie with Stuttgart. It is arguably a season-defining period for Celtic.
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