Brendan Rodgers praised his much-changed Celtic team for the way they ground down a spirited 10-man Ross County side to move eight points clear at the top of the cinch Premiership.
The hosts had James Brown sent off early on and they kept the Hoops out until deep into first-half stoppage time when David Turnbull broke the deadlock.
Celtic eventually killed off County – whose goalkeeper Ross Laidlaw was in inspired form – with goals from substitutes Luis Palma and James Forrest.
Rodgers, who made six changes ahead of Tuesday’s Champions League clash with Atletico Madrid in Spain, was pleased with the energy and patience of his team.
“We made a number of changes to bring new energy in the team,” said the Hoops boss. “It’s difficult when they get the man sent off early because it means it’s a game of attack v defence. But we had some really good chances before taking the lead.
“It was a game where we needed some energy from the guys at the beginning. We scored some fantastic goals and their keeper made some brilliant saves.
“Credit to County, they lose a man so early. You can unravel or stick at it and keep going and they did that.”
Hyeongyu Oh, Paulo Bernardo, Anthony Ralston and Hyunjun Yang were among the players handed starts in Dingwall.
“It’s all about the team,” he said. “It’s not about cementing your place in the team, it’s about contributing to the performance. The guys came in and worked very hard and were steady and concentrated.”
Prior to taking the lead, Celtic had two goals chalked off. Liam Scales had the ball in the net from close range but it was ruled out as Oh was deemed to have pushed Jordan White in the build-up.
Later in the first half, Oh netted from close range but the celebrations were cut short when VAR adjudged that Daizen Maeda had strayed offside when running on to Bernardo’s pass on the right.
“I thought the first goal that was disallowed should have been a goal,” said Rodgers. “It was two defenders challenging for the ball. I don’t know where the foul was and it takes an eternity to find out if it was a goal or not. The offside looks really close. I’d have to see it again.”
County boss Malky Mackay was proud of the way his team competed after the early red card – although he was irked that Celtic’s opener came in the seventh minute of first-half stoppage time, when a minimum of six minutes had been signalled.
“We got a mountain to climb when we go to 10 men,” said Mackay. “It was a sending off, James has apologised but he didn’t see him. He came from his blind side so you can’t say too much to him.
“Coming towards half-time we’d weathered the storm and to lose the goal at six minutes and six seconds – which is surprising and interesting – it was a great strike and the only place he could have put it for the goalie not to get to it.
“But we stuck at it, we were disciplined and organised. I have to be proud of my team.”
Havertz: Arsenal 'ready for the fight' in Premier League title race
Kai Havertz says Arsenal are "ready for the fight" as they aim to close the gap on Premier League leaders Liverpool.
The Gunners are in second place and nine points adrift of the Reds, who have only dropped five under Arne Slot after the opening 13 matches of this campaign.
Mikel Arteta's side will hope to reduce the deficit when they welcome Manchester United to the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday, while Liverpool travel to St James' Park to face Newcastle United.
Arsenal have been runners-up to Manchester City in each of the last two Premier League seasons, and Havertz is confident they will be in contention once more this time around.
"It's still in the first part of the season and a lot can happen," he said. "For me personally, I think how much tougher the Premier League gets year by year.
"Liverpool, all of a sudden, are performing at the highest level week in, week out. I have to give credit to them, for sure. [There are] lots of games to play, points to get, so we will be ready for the fight.
"There are still a lot of things in the team that we can develop and be better at, and I'm sure the next couple of years are going to be great for us. I think everyone will be ready for it."
Arsenal are full of momentum, having won each of their last three matches across all competitions, while scoring 13 goals along the way.
The Gunners only managed 12 in their previous nine games, with Martin Odegaard missing seven of those, but Havertz believes he and his team-mates have enjoyed the benefits of the skipper's recent return from injury.
"For me, it's quite nice! He's just magic," the forward said. "He makes everything so calm and easy on the pitch, has the confidence to turn games around on his own.
"Even in bad moments, he takes the ball and does something with it. He never shies away. He's a very important player for us."
Tottenham must bolster attacking options in January, says Postecoglou
Ange Postecoglou said that Tottenham must make signings during the transfer window to strengthen their attacking options.
Tottenham find themselves seventh in the Premier League after 13 games this season, but have been unable to find consistency with results thus far.
But their form has not been helped by injuries in the forward areas, with Richarlison and Wilson Odobert out of action until next year with respective hamstring issues.
Dominic Solanke, who missed Tottenham's 1-1 draw with Fulham on Sunday, is expected to feature against former side Bournemouth on Thursday, however.
Despite those injuries, Postecoglou's side top the scoring charts in the top-flight this term with 28 goals, but the Spurs boss said he is in need of attacking reinforcements.
"With Richy, it has been frustrating because I see the potential in him and, to be fair, when he’s been fit he’s always made an impact," Postecoglou said.
"That’s what you kind of hold on to, but there’s no doubt we need some bolstering in that front third over the next couple of transfer windows."
“Dom coming in has been great, but again we can’t overload him either, because ultimately, even if he stays fit and nothing happens, performance will invariably drop if his energy levels drop. So it’s something we’re aware of and need to plan for."
Cristian Romero is also unavailable for Thursday's game, adding to the absences of Micky van de Ven, Guglielmo Vicario and the suspended Rodrigo Bentancur.
Tottenham's squad is likely to be stretched once again during December, with eight games coming up this month.
Following their trip to Bournemouth, they take on Chelsea, Southampton, Liverpool, Nottingham Forest and Wolves in the Premier League.
In between those league games, they face Rangers in the Europa League as well as a quarter-final EFL Cup tie against Manchester United.
"It's a Thursday Sunday cycle for us pretty consistently," he added.
"Monday is recovery day for the lads and yesterday training with the guys who didn't play the majority of the game.
"They've all recovered well, no issues from [Fulham] and we're ready to go for a big game tomorrow."
But up first for Tottenham is a trip to the south coast against Andoni Iraola's in-form Bournemouth side, who beat Wolves 4-2 in their last Premier League encounter.
And Postecoglou will have confidence of returning to winning ways at the Vitality Stadium given their recent meetings with the Cherries.
Tottenham have won 10 of their 14 Premier League games against Bournemouth (D2 L2) – of the sides they’ve faced at least 10 times in the competition, only against Swansea (79%) do they have a higher win rate.
Along with that, each of their last five top-flight away wins have been to nil, including a 4-0 victory at reigning champions Manchester City last time out.
Spurs, however, haven’t won any of their last 14 when conceding on the road (D5 L9), since a 2-1 win at Crystal Palace in October 2023, and Postecoglou is expecting another difficult task away from home.
"A tough challenge, not just of late but from last year. They came here and were really aggressive with their football and especially at their place," Postecoglou concluded.
"They've beaten City and Arsenal at their place. They are one of those sides where they have real consistency in performance and approach, so you know that you're in for a battle. I'm really looking forward to it."
Shaw 'devastated' by yet another injury setback
Manchester United and England defender Luke Shaw has said that he is devastated after suffering the latest in a long line of injury issues.
Shaw made his first appearance of the season coming off the bench in the 1-1 draw away to Ipswich Town on 24 November, which was Ruben Amorim's first game in charge.
He has since made another substitute appearance against Bodo/Glimt in the Europa League last week and on Sunday in the 4-0 home win over Everton.
Now a new injury, which is not thought to be related to his original calf issue, will keep him out for a few weeks.
"It's hurting a lot having to write this as I really thought I had got through my recent struggles and was on a positive path going forwards, but unfortunately I've had a small setback," Shaw wrote in an emotional statement on his Instagram account.
"I've been through a lot and had a lot of ups and downs, but this has definitely been my toughest period. I'm absolutely devastated, and it's extremely tough to come to terms with reality at this moment in time.
"I understand there is going to be people frustrated, angry, disappointed and I understand all that. There is no one feeling that more than me at this moment in time.
"But what I can promise is I will do everything I can to come back better soon to help this club achieve its ambitions this season. Thank you to everyone for the support. It really doesn't go unnoticed, and I really do appreciate it."
Prior to his appearance at Ipswich, Shaw had not played since England's 2-1 defeat in the Euro 2024 final.
That was his only start of the tournament, while his last start for Manchester United came in a 2-1 victory away to Luton Town in February.
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