Celtic take leap towards the title with late Brown winner

WHEN Celtic win their eighth successive Scottish title and their third under Brendan Rodgers, this game will be seen as pivotal and Scott Brown’s name imprinted on its recollection.

The Hoops captain was at the heart of all of the flashpoints at Rugby Park, scoring his second goal of the season and incurring his first red card as well as being the victim of a reckless challenge from Kirk Broadfoot that saw the Kilmarnock defender dismissed.

The tone for the contest had been set on Saturday when Rangers’ challenge faltered in a home draw with St Johnstone, and Aberdeen’s pursuit was also undermined when they drew with bottom side St Mirren.

Celtic began as though they would settle the issue in short order as James Forrest and Jeremy Toljan combined to find Odsonne Edouard for a shot which skipped just wide.

Johnny Hayes had come in for Emilio Izaguirre and Celtic’s momentum released the Irishman from his role as stand-in full-back, so that Kilmarnock were faced with the threat of two wingers on their right, where Scott Sinclair was also marauding.

Pressure from the flank allowed Sinclair to try his fortune with a dipping drive which was a simple take for the goalkeeper.

That was the signal for Kilmarnock to shift play to the other end of the field where, from a free kick by Chris Burke, they won their first corner. Burke took charge and planted his delivery on to Broadfoot’s head but the defender’s effort swirled wide.

By half-time Brown had picked up his first caution for a sliding lunge on Greg Taylor. The restart was the signal for an absorbing second period, which could have gone either way until Broadfoot’s high and reckless swipe at Brown with 15 minutes left.

The garland belonged to Brown in the final minute of normal time when Dedryck Boyata headed a corner into the box where his skipper met it with an explosive half volley that spun off Alex Bruce’s hand and into the net.

Brown sprinted to receive the salutes of the fans behind the goal. Flares were thrown and supporters came on to the field. The upshot was a second caution for Brown.

The title is very much Celtic’s to lose. “We weren’t settling for a draw,” said Rodgers. “We play to win every game and I thought we played very well considering we had a game of such intensity on Thursday.

“It’s nice to have an eight-point lead. The job isn’t done but the players are used to the demands of this stage of the season.”