Brendan Rodgers praised his Celtic players for maintaining their focus amid supporter unrest to eke out a last-gasp 2-1 victory away to Kilmarnock following a “challenging couple of weeks”.
Debutant Kelechi Iheanacho scored a stoppage-time penalty as the Hoops went back above Hearts at the top of the William Hill Premiership after Killie midfielder David Watson had cancelled out Daizen Maeda’s 56th-minute opener for the champions.
It meant Celtic fans were celebrating jubilantly at the end of a match in which half of the travelling support had opted to boycott the opening 12 minutes in protest at the club’s board following an underwhelming transfer window widely deemed to have contributed to their Champions League exit at the hands of Kairat Almaty.
Hoops fans sang songs against the hierarchy – most pointedly towards chairman Peter Lawwell – sporadically during the game but Rodgers felt their presence behind the goal helped give his side “new energy” to score twice in the second half.
“I’m delighted for the players first and foremost, because all eyes were on them today,” the manager said.
“I’d spoke to the players at the hotel before and I mentioned it (the protest) yesterday, the importance of concentration. I talk a lot about the first five minutes, but today was about the first 12 minutes and how we had to manage the situation.
“There’s been a lot said and written and talked about, but ultimately if we get on to the pitch we can control that. I’m just so pleased for them that they could get a win to get us going again on this next round of games.
“I’m very satisfied, it’s been a challenging couple of weeks. And as a manager and a supporter of Celtic, I don’t really like to see that.
“We want to be always together and we always want to be the very best we can be as a football club. And the quicker we can find that, then the stronger we will be.
“Until that moment comes and there’s some differences, which I will respect, I need to make sure that the team is focused and I manage the situation the best I possibly can, to make sure we can get the results.”
Rodgers felt his side deserved to win and he was delighted to see Iheanacho, who joined as a free agent after the transfer deadline, step off the bench to enjoy “a big moment for him” at the end.
The manager was also pleased with debutant winger Sebastian Tounekti, whom he implied could have been a difference-maker if signed in time for the Kairat play-off instead of on deadline day.
“We all know what it is we need to assess and be better at,” Rodgers said, alluding to the club’s much-maligned summer recruitment.
“You look at Sebastian today, if we have him in when I wanted to have him in, then it can be a different sport for us. Outstanding he was. So these are all things that we need to find clarity on and be better at. But in the meantime, the concentration is on football.”
Killie boss Stuart Kettlewell was “immensely proud” of his team’s performance but was left irate at the decision to award the Hoops a stoppage-time penalty after James Forrest’s shot hit the boot of Killie’s Robbie Deas before bouncing on to team-mate Lewis Mayo’s hand.
“I was told that if it ricochets from half a yard between two of our players and it ricochets up on to somebody’s hand then we’re not going to give them as penalties,” he said.
“That’s what I was told, so I need to ask the question again. Somebody will need to tell me why that’s given us a penalty today.”
Follow STV News on WhatsApp
Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
