S COTTISH PREMIER LEAGUE: Inverness CT 3 Celtic 2: THE BIGGEST celebrations would have been at a club who did not even take part in this game. To Rangers' delight, Celtic passed up the opportunity to overhaul them at the summit of the Premier League.
After wasting their game in hand, the Hoops trail now their city rivals by a point with three matches to play. So Rangers have, in their own hands, the chance to claim a third title in succession.
Few could have anticipated events in Inverness. The hosts, whose sole pre-match objective was to hold firm in seventh place, produced a second-half showing which Celtic could not match.
“We were all over the place,” conceded their manager Neil Lennon. “If you play like that, you don’t deserve to win any game. There’s no excuse.”
Lennon’s frustration was manifested in the dying seconds after the referee – rightly, it seemed – decided against awarding Celtic a second penalty of the night. The manager connected with a fierce volley on a rack holding drinks bottles beside the dugout. “We were clutching at straws really,” he said of the incident later, one which had seen the Caley defender Grant Munro clash with Pat McCourt.
The visitors had been the better team before Dubliner Adam Rooney’s back-heel was flicked past his own goalkeeper by the Celtic defender Charlie Mulgrew. The Celtic reply arrived within 120 seconds, however, as Kris Commons collected the ball 40 yards from goal, charged forward and supplied a fine, angled finish.
If Celtic were rather subdued for the remainder of the first period – Commons dragged their best opportunity wide – they offered even less after the interval.
Munro was the first to capitalise on that, scoring a goal which belied his status as a rugged centre back. Celtic had failed to properly clear Adam Doran’s corner and allowed Munro a shooting chance from 18 yards.
Munro is faced with an uncertain future after boss Terry Butcher told him a few days ago he is being let go at the end of the season. “It was a special goal for myself, especially after the sort of week I’ve had,” said Munro. “I’m paid here and that’s my job, this is my club . . . well, it’s not any more. It was a fantastic performance from all the boys.”
Worse was to follow in the game for Lennon’s side.
Shane Sutherland scored with the aid of a post after Celtic had again been lax in attempting to deal with a set-play. And only wastefulness from Rooney and Nick Ross saved Celtic from embarrassment; Commons’s penalty, after Ross Tokely had upended Shaun Maloney in stoppage time, was mere consolation.
* Guardian Service
INVERNESS CT:Esson, Tokely, Munro, Innes, Gillet, Duff, Cox, Ross, Sutherland (Odhiambo 82), Rooney (Morrison 90), Doran. Subs not used: Tuffey, Golabek, Duncan, Sanchez, MacDonald. Booked: Sutherland, Tokely.
CELTIC:Forster, Izaguirre, Majstorovic, Wilson, Mulgrew, Brown, Kayal (Ki 71), Commons, Maloney, Stokes (Murphy 58), Hooper (McCourt 66). Subs not used: Zaluska, Samaras, Rogne, Forrest. Booked: Brown, Majstorovic.
Referee:S O'Reilly (Scotland).
Top Two’s Remaining SPL Fixtures
Saturday – Rangers v Hearts, 12.15pm. Sunday – Kilmarnock v Celtic, 12.45pm.
Tuesday – Rangers v Dundee Utd, 7.45pm.
Wednesday – Hearts v Celtic, 7.45pm.
Sunday, May 15th – Celtic v Motherwell, 12.30pm; Kilmarnock v Rangers, 12.30pm.
Mulgrew 7 og
Munro 53
Sutherland 62
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