Ross County denied creditable Premiership result against Celtic in Dingwall by last-gasp Anthony Ralston winner
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Ross County 1 (Baldwin)
Celtic 2 (Abada, Ralston)
Celtic grabbed a last-gasp winner against a Ross County side who will feel like they would have been very good value for at least a point in Dingwall.
Liel Abada had given Celtic a deserved first half lead, but a much-improved performance after the interval from the Staggies brought them right back into proceedings – Jack Baldwin getting the equaliser.
It became an extremely open game after that with both sides feeling as though they could claim three points, but it went Celtic's way at the very end as Anthony Ralston scored a winner – although the celebration was marred by a number of Celtic supporters invading the pitch.
Despite the league standings of each side, it was County who started on the front foot.
They had Celtic pinned inside their own half for much of the opening 10 minutes, but they could not manage to really test Joe Hart in the visiting goal while they had the run of play.
Instead, the Glasgow giants grew into the game and starting venturing further forward themselves.
It was very much incremental progress for them, though, as their first real sight of goal came from a corner kick.
Ashley Maynard-Brewer was called into action to make an excellent save to deny Nir Bitton, who had risen highest in the middle of the box.
County were attempting to press Celtic all over the park, but where they had succeeded in making a defender rush in the very early stages, Celtic became comfortable passing it between themselves and making their opponents do all the running.
Eventually, they made the breakthrough.
Callum McGregor played a nice ball through for Liam Scales, who picked out Liel Abada in the middle to slot home.
Abada had a chance to add a second on the half hour mark when he went around Maynard-Brewer, latching on to Josip Juranovic's ball forward.
The Staggies could breathe relatively easy going into half time though, thanks in part to Keith Watson's clearance for the Israeli attacker's goal-bound shot.
If that was a relief, they had reason to celebrate in the 57th minute when they got back on level terms.
Dominic Samuel saw his shot blocked for a corner, which Blair Spittal sent in the direction of Jack Baldwin to convert for his second goal of the season.
With the scores level, both sides felt they had a chance of taking all three points, and the game opened up as a result as each team swarmed forward whenever they won possession – albeit without causing too much trouble for the respective goalkeepers.
County received a big boost with just over 10 minutes left to play, as Celtic went down to 10 men. Carl Starfelt was shown a second yellow card for pulling down a charging Regan Charles-Cook, on paper giving the hosts the upper hand for the final stages.
That said, Celtic kept getting chances to score a winner when County gave away free kicks inside shooting range.
Maynard-Brewer was needed to keep one of them, from Juranovic, out, while others from David Turnbull missed the target.
The Aussie stopper was needed again as stoppage time approached, this time to keep out Cameron Carter-Vickers' header at a corner.
Charles-Cook had a good chance to win it for County, doing everything right in the build-up to gain a yard of space just inside the box only to send his effort into the stands.
There was always the feeling that a winner would come, though, and it went Celtic's way just before the full time whistle.
County had initially defended a corner well, but Celtic kept the ball alive in the final third and sent a cross in towards the back post, where Anthony Ralston headed into the net from a couple of yards out.
If there is a saving grace for the Staggies, it is that St Johnstone lost against Rangers, meaning they stay 11th rather than slipping to the bottom of the table, but it will still be a sucker punch to come away with nothing from the game.
Ross County: Maynard-Brewer, Vokins, Baldwin, Paton (Samuel 35), Spittal, Callachan (White 53), Watson, Charles-Cook, Clarke, Tillson, Hungbo (Burroughs 65).
Subs not used: Laidlaw, Randall, Cancola, Donaldson.
Celtic: Hart, Starfelt, Scales, Bitton (Rogic 75), Abada, Turnbull, Carter-Vickers, McGregor, Montgomery (Moffat 63), Ralston, Juranovic.
Subs not used: Bain, Taylor, Rogic, Shaw, Henderson, Welsh.
Referee: Alan Muir
Attendance: 5592 (2478 away)
