Kelechi Iheanacho made a dream debut for Celtic, scoring a dramatic stoppage-time penalty to seal a 2-1 victory over Kilmarnock on Sunday, September 14, and send the Scottish champions back to the top of the Premiership table.
The match at Rugby Park was played under a tense atmosphere, as Celtic fans staged a 12-minute boycott in protest against the club’s lack of transfer activity and frustration over an early Champions League exit to Kazakhstan’s Kairat Almaty.
Daizen Maeda broke the deadlock with a diving header from Marcelo Saracchi’s precise cross — his first goal since April — briefly easing the pressure on Brendan Rodgers’ side.
Kilmarnock, however, grew stronger late in the game and equalised in the 83rd minute when David Watson rose highest to nod home Greg Kiltie’s corner. The hosts pressed for a winner and looked the more dangerous side until Celtic were handed a lifeline deep into stoppage time.
VAR intervened and ruled that Lewis Mayo had handled James Forrest’s shot inside the box. Iheanacho, signed as a free agent after the transfer deadline, confidently stepped up and smashed the penalty past the goalkeeper with virtually the last kick of the match.
“I’m delighted for the players first and foremost, because all eyes were on them today,” manager Brendan Rodgers said after the game. “I’d spoken to the players at the hotel before and mentioned 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 once we get on 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.”
The result leaves Celtic level on 13 points with Hearts but ahead on goal difference, reclaiming top spot in the league.
