Jota ended Kilmarnock’s impressive resistance on the stroke of half-time to send Celtic on their way to a 2-0 victory that puts them 12 points clear at the top of the Premiership.
Kilmarnock arrived at Celtic Park with only two points gained on the road this season but gave the home side very little encouragement in the opening 44 minutes. However, Jota netted from close range in the final minute of the first half before Celtic added a second shortly after the interval.
The champions threatened to score several more as they put further pressure on Rangers before their nearest challengers’ trip to Dundee United on Sunday.
There was a pre-match tribute on the big screens to Frank McGarvey after his death on New Year’s Day, as the former Celtic striker was given a minute’s silence along with Pelé and the former pope Benedict XVI.
The Celtic manager, Ange Postecoglou, brought in Alexandro Bernabei for the injured Greg Taylor, while Aaron Mooy and Jota were also recalled.
Postecoglou claimed on Friday there was “zero chance” that major penalty decisions against his team would even themselves out over the course of the season and Killie had an appeal inside 30 seconds when the debutant striker Kyle Vassell went down under the attention of Carl Starfelt. The referee, Nick Walsh, played on after a VAR check.
The visitors lined up with five at the back and defended from the front to deny the Celtic midfield time on the ball. The tactic worked for the vast majority of the first half. Celtic took 20 minutes to force a corner and another five before getting their first effort at goal, when Jota’s deflected effort was easily held by Sam Walker.
The visitors also had some moments going forward. Chris Stokes’s cross hit the top of the crossbar and Ash Taylor headed on to the roof of the net. Celtic then had a goal disallowed in the 41st minute when Jota was called offside from Mooy’s lofted pass after the Portuguese winger’s low cross was turned home by Kyogo Furuhashi.
But the decision looked straightforward and the away side looked as if they would deservedly go in level at half-time until Bernabei’s pass sent Daizen Maeda in behind Lewis Mayo. The Japan international cut the ball back and Jota knocked it home from close range after Furuhashi had slid in front of Walker.
Walker blocked Jota’s shot with his foot after the break but he was beaten in the 51st minute after a counterattack. Reo Hatate overlapped Mooy and received a pass before sending in a low cross that was diverted towards goal by Furuhashi. The shot appeared to take a deflection off Taylor before finding its way into the back of the net.
Hearts stay third but they were forced to share the spoils at St Mirren in a 1-1. Robert Snodgrass cancelled out Ryan Strain’s early strike, but neither side found a winner and a VAR check saw Marcus Fraser dismissed for the hosts deep into stoppage time.
Two second-half strikes from Luis ‘Duk’ Lopes ended Aberdeen’s five-game winless streak with a 2-0 victory against St Johnstone. Duk put Aberdeen in front in the 74th minute and got his second 10 minutes later to help the Dons stay fourth.
Two second-half goals in quick succession from Bruce Anderson helped Livingston climb to fifth as they heaped more misery on the bottom side, Ross County, with a 2-0 victory in Dingwall.
That was in effect game over and the rest of the contest saw Kilmarnock trying to keep the score down amid near-constant Celtic pressure. They managed to do so despite a series of close shaves. Maeda could not make the most of several chances, Walker made a good stop from Hatate’s 22-yard drive and the substitute Liel Abada flashed an effort wide from similar distance.
The chances kept coming for the substitutes. Giorgos Giakoumakis saw a powerful header brilliantly saved and then hit the bar from long range, James Forrest hit Walker and then a post from two glorious quickfire opportunities, and the Kilmarnock goalkeeper also pushed Matt O’Riley’s close-range effort on to the post.
Callum McGregor and Forrest missed further good opportunities to capitalise on Celtic’s second-half dominance before David Turnbull came close from 25 yards.
