Killer Kuhn struck again as Celtic edged a nervy affair 2-1 in Dingwall against Ross County.
Two second-half goals from Canadian international Alistair Johnston and a winner two minutes from time from Nicolas Kuhn were enough to see Celtic home in a lacklustre display from Brendan Rodgers's charges in the Highlands after they had railled from 0-1 down.
The visitors dominated possession-wise but were finding it hard to break down a workmanlike and resolute Staggies defence.
The champions' task got all the more onerous after 41 minutes when Celtic defender Liam Scales was penalised for handball after a cross from the right from Michee Efete.
Whistler Kevin Clancy consulted the VAR monitor and pointed to the spot.
Kasper Schmeichel looked to have bailed Scales and his teammates out when he dived to his right to superbly beat the ball away after Ronan Hale's poor kick.
However, Clancy signalled for a retake and this time Hale made no mistake to put Don Cowie's men 1-0 up.
Celtic huffed and puffed after the interval and they finally got the breakthrough their persistence deserved after 76 minutes when captain Callum McGregor cracked in an effort that appeared to be heading wide of the target but fortuitously ricocheted off Alistair Johnston's waist and ended up in the back of the net to make it 1-1.
With two minutes left on the clock, Kuhn picked up the ball from Johnston on the right-hand side and cut inside and unleashed an accurate low curling shot that beat Laidlaw all ends up for the winner to spark scenes of joyous celebration in the Dingwall stands.
Schmeichel's shut-out record controversially bites the dust
Schmeichel was the spot-kick hero for less than a minute as there was to be no 'magnificent seven' straight shut-out record for the Great Dane. However, Schmeichel will feel incredibly hard done by after initially saving Ronan Hale's weak spot-kick as he dived to his right. Referee Kevin Clancy got the wire the 37-year-old had advanced off his line to make the stop. Hale made no mistake from 12 yards a second time as Schmeichel conceded his first Scottish Premiership goal of the season. His frustration was clear for all to see as he booted the ball high into the air after he fished it out of his net.
Erratic Engels woefully off it in Dingwall
The £11 million man was posted missing in Dortmund in midweek and things didn't improve much in the first 45 in Dingwall as the Belgian international looked worryingly off the pace. His passing and distribution were erratic at best and he was anonymous for large chunks of the opening period. It just didn't happen for the midfielder in any shape or form as he tried little tricks and flicks which didn't come off for him. Even his reliable set-piece delivery which is usually bang on the money deserted him in the Highlands. He even gave the visiting supporters a real scare when he went down clutching his knee but recovered sufficiently to see out a truly unforgettable first half. It was no surprise when he was hooked for McCowan after the hour mark.
Captain Callum McGregor helps dig his team out of a hole again
The skipper was the best Celtic player on display but that would not have been hard on a day when the visitors found the going tough. It was McGregor who led by example and constantly drove the team forward at all times. It was he who linked the play from middle to front and wanted the ball when the game was bypassing his midfield partners Engels and Hatate. McGregor almost levelled proceedings with a low-angled drive that whistled inches past Ross Laidlaw's upright. The captain smashed a wayward shot towards goal that cannoned off Johnston en route for the equaliser. If anybody deserved a slice of good fortune it was the Celtic midfielder.
Killer Kuhn makes it 14 goal contributions for the campaign
The German winger popped up when it mattered with a superb goal to rescue all three points in Dingwall just when the champions looked as if they were going to slip up for the first time this season. Kuhn drilled in a low curler which was a thing of beauty after Celtic had struggled in a nervy contest against the Staggies. That makes it a staggering 14 goals contributions for Kuhn - six goals and eight assists. If the truth be told the wide-man did not have one of his better games for the men in green and white but nobody cares a jot as Rodgers's men kept up their 100 per start to the Scottish Premiership campaign. He picked up a stupid booking early in the second half and could have seen red had referee Clancy deemed his goal celebration as excessive but he got the benefit of the doubt from the man in the middle.
From Dortmund to Dingwall there is such a thing as a European hangover
Celtic simply weren't at the races for large spells in the Highlands against Ross County. Too many of Rodgers's tried and tested first-team players failed to turn up against a resolute Ross County. The likes of Alistair Johnston, Reo Hatate, Engels, Nicolas Kuhn, Adam Idah, and Daizen Maeda were all off form as the visitors attacking play was slow and laborious from the first whistle to the last. There was a lethargy to the Scottish champions on a day when they couldn't muster any kind of gallop. A European hangover? You had better believe it as Celtic and Rodgers went into the international break with plenty to ponder from a performance perspective.
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