ROSS COUNTY:

(5-3-2) Mccarey 6 (Fox 45 6); Fraser 6, Souttar 6, Fontaine 6, Davies 4, Naismith 5; Curran 6, O’brien 6, Routis 6; Schalk 6 (Gardyne 66 5), Mckay 6 (Dow 63 5). Unused substitutes – N’gog, Dingwall, Melbourne, Gallagher.

As if going a goal down wasn’t a sufficient handicap for a team who had never won any of their previous top-flight meetings with Celtic, the Highlanders then further sabotaged their chances by going a man down too.

Davies’s action infuriated the normally placid Stuart Armstrong who had to be restrained after sprinting in to remonstrate.

“I am just very defensive of him!” said the Celtic midfielder.

“It didn’t look nice. What upset me most is that it was really late. It was too late to be a natural tackle.

“But Scott is fine. He is a brave boy.”

The red card made a big difference.

Already a goal up and with extra space and time to play with, Celtic smoothly took the game away from their opponents.

Armstrong made it 2-0 soon after the break, firing low into the corner of the net through a tangle of legs.

Then when James Forrest slid a ball into the path of Tom Rogic, the Australian showed lovely technique to first control the ball with his left then stroke it past sub keeper Scott Fox to make it three.

The match won, Rodgers had the luxury of being able to bring on Leigh Griffiths, fit again after injury, and Paddy Roberts.

County’s interim manager Stuart Kettlewell was meanwhile glad to see the final whistle come with no further controversy.

“Andrew’s apologised to everybody and I think that’s what pros do.

“It’s what a captain would do in that kind of situation and he has done.

“He’s said sorry to his teammates as well.

“For us now it is all about Tuesday’s game (at home to Partick Thistle).

“It is massive, there’s no getting away from that.