Nicolas Kühn grabbed a late winner as Celtic came from behind to win 2-1 at Ross County. The winger struck his sixth goal of the season in an 88th-minute counterattack to maintain Celtic’s perfect start to the league season.
Ronan Hale became the first player to score against Celtic in the Premiership when he converted a retaken penalty in the 42nd minute after a VAR-assisted handball decision against Liam Scales.
The champions had struggled to break County down but their efforts were rewarded when Alistair Johnston got the final touch after a 76th-minute corner and Kühn continued his impressive start by having the final say. The German was sent running down the right by Johnston’s searching pass and cut inside a defender before curling the ball inside the far post.
Álex Valle, Reo Hatate and Adam Idah had come into the Celtic team after their 7-1 defeat by Borussia Dortmund. Brendan Rodgers’ side had 80% of first-half possession but Kasper Schmeichel was the busier goalkeeper.
It was all Celtic in the opening stages but there were few clear chances and Elijah Campbell made a brilliant last-ditch challenge to prevent Kühn converting Daizen Maeda’s square ball. Schmeichel had to get down well to deny Hale after a long ball and Noah Chilvers came close from the rebound.
The key first-half moment came when Michee Efete’s cross hit the raised arm of Scales and Kevin Clancy pointed to the spot after being called to the monitor by the video assistant, Nick Walsh.
Schmeichel dived to his right to stop the spot-kick but Clancy ordered a retake after word from the VAR headquarters that the Celtic keeper was well off his line and Hale then fired an unstoppable penalty into the bottom corner. It was the Belfast-born forward’s seventh goal in 11 matches since joining from Cliftonville.
There were scares for Celtic either side of the interval. Schmeichel spilled Josh Nisbet’s shot but it squirmed wide and Hale came close to chipping the goalkeeper from 40 yards after Johnston had given possession to County near the centre circle in his own half. The striker’s effort sailed over the keeper’s head but drifted just off target.
County were still making life difficult for Celtic’s attackers and Callum McGregor tried to take matters into his own hands by bursting into the box, but he placed his shot just wide. Ross Laidlaw had his first test following Maeda’s one-two with Hatate and the goalkeeper saved from close range with the help of Efete’s lunging tackle.
Celtic’s substitutes added some impetus and the pressure told after Paulo Bernardo’s corner. Laidlaw kept out Kyogo Furuhashi’s flick but was beaten when McGregor’s follow-up diverted off Johnston.
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Celtic went looking for the winner and Kühn provided it before escaping a second yellow card after running into the away fans to celebrate while already on a booking after an earlier clash with Connor Randall.
Aberdeen also left it late to see off 10-man Hearts 3-2 at Pittodrie and maintain their own 100% start. The Dons took an early lead through Topi Keskinen’s deflected effort, before Frankie Kent headedan equaliser before the break. Hearts went ahead just after the hour through a fine curling effort from Blair Spittal, but the defender Nicky Devlin soon had Aberdeen level again before the Hearts midfielder Jorge Grant was sent off with 15 minutes left for a second caution.
Just when it looked like the visitors would hold out for a point, the Croatian midfielder Ante Palaversa drilled in his first Aberdeen goal with a couple of minutes left.
