NEIL LIVING DANGEROUSLY
Under-pressure boss sees 10-man Hoops held in West Lothian
NEIL LENNON’S angry rebuke of Celtic’s Dubai critics failed to provoke a response from his men as they were held to another damaging draw by a second-string Livingston outfit.
The furious Parkhead boss let rip on Monday in the wake of their controversial winter training camp. If it was designed to show his players he was still up for the fight of salvaging their 10-in-arow dreams, it did not work.
Celtic did battle back from Ciaron Brown’s opener with goals from Mohammed Elyounoussi and Nir Bitton.
But they for the fourth time in 2021 already, they failed to get the job done.
Jay Emmanuel-thomas levelled for David Martindale’s impressive Lions – who remain unbeaten in his 10-game tenure – while Celtic finished the game clinging on for a draw after seeing captain Scott Brown sent off just five minutes after being introduced from the bench. Lennon was back in the dugout after he and 13 players were forced to isolate in the wake of the positive test Christopher Jullien returned following that UAE jaunt, while Vasilis Barkas, Kristoffer Ajer, Ryan Christie, Elyounoussi and Leigh Griffiths were also welcomed back from quarantine.
Martindale obviously had one eye on Sunday’s Betfred Cup semi-final with St Mirren as he made seven changes to the team which got a weekend point at
Parkhead. Yet even without a raft of regulars Livi were still able to take the lead after 15 minutes.
Shane Duffy barged over Jack Hamilton to hand the hosts a free kick on halfway and as Julien Serrano pumped the ball towards the box Ajer took his eyes off Brown for a second – by the time he looked back the Livi defender had ghosted away to head beyond Barkas.
Lennon must have wondered if this would be his last stand as boss but Celtic did mount a recovery with Griffiths’ delivery after 28 minutes bringing the equaliser as Elyounoussi clipped a sublime finish in off the bar.
And 10 minutes later they were in front. David Turnbull’s corner was cleared to Ismaila Soro who fed Callum Mcgregor and his disguised pass found Bitton who sent the ball into the top corner via a slight ricochet off Robby Mccrorie’s body. Replays showed the Israeli was a fraction offside as he netted his first Hoops goal since December 2016 but Celtic were hoping their miserable luck had changed at last.
But they found themselves pegged back, Emmanuelthomas getting beyond Greig Taylor to prod home.
The Lions had worked all day to clear snow from their pitch but Brown got the cold shoulder with seven minutes left after being dismissed for aiming a swinging arm at Livi’s new signing from Shelbourne Jaze Kabia moments after coming on.