{"id":63859,"date":"2025-09-14T16:54:10","date_gmt":"2025-09-14T16:54:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/63859\/"},"modified":"2025-09-14T16:54:10","modified_gmt":"2025-09-14T16:54:10","slug":"dramatic-celtic-triumph-cant-quell-board-backlash-as-kilmarnock-undone-by-var-drama-5-talking-points","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/63859\/","title":{"rendered":"Dramatic Celtic triumph can’t quell board backlash as Kilmarnock undone by VAR drama \u2013 5 talking points"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Hoops returned to the top of the table after winning a penalty late on at Rugby Park to secure a 2-1 winKelechi Iheanacho celebrates(Image: SNS Group)<\/p>\n

Celtic fans sat out the start in protest but stuck around for the wild celebrations at the end on an incredible afternoon at Rugby Park.<\/p>\n

Kelechi Ihenacho slammed in a 96th-minute penalty with the last kick of the ball to leave Kilmarnock<\/a> crushed.<\/p>\n

A section of supporters kept their promise to remain outside until after the 12 minute mod anger at the way the club is being run.<\/p>\n

Yet it was two summer recruits who made the difference in Ayrshire.<\/a> Deadline day arrival Sebastian Tounekti dazzled on his debut while Daizen Maeda<\/a> ditched his disappointment over an exit by delivering a crucial opening goal.<\/p>\n

Celtic<\/a> looked set to see it out but David Watson pounced from a corner and the Hoops had to hang on as Stuart Kettlewell\u2019s men threatened to grab all three points.<\/p>\n

There was another huge twist in storage time when sub James Forrest\u2019s drive was blocked by the arm of Lewis Mayo \u2013 and it was clocked by VAR.<\/p>\n

Ihenacho \u2013 who was written off as a panic buy after the window closed \u2013 had the guts to step up and he riffled high into the net.<\/p>\n

The Nigerian sparked mayhem in the away end \u2013 but it doesn\u2019t look like it will get the under-fire Hoops board off the hook.<\/p>\n

Fan power<\/p>\n

Celtic fans are fuming and doesn\u2019t look like this dramatic win will heal the rift with the club’s board.<\/p>\n

The supporters made their anger at the way the club is being run with the no show until 12 minutes after kick-off.<\/p>\n

The away end was half empty at kick-off and then filled up as promised.<\/p>\n

The protests didn\u2019t end there though with A series of banners including ‘Sack the Board, Back the Team,\u2019 in a throwback to the slogan from the nineties when they did manage to empty out the club\u2019s directors.<\/p>\n

There were plenty of others targeting the club\u2019s leadership and chants throughout.<\/p>\n

They celebrated at the death but even after the winner there were sack the board chants.<\/p>\n

This isn\u2019t going away.<\/p>\n

Seb on the go<\/p>\n

The poor lad might have got lost in the wash on transfer deadline day given all the frantic carry on, but it looks like Celtic did manage to pull off a sensational piece of business.<\/p>\n

Sebastian Tounekti made a huge first impression here. Celts were slow and laboured in general, but they came to life every time the Tunisian ace was on the ball.<\/p>\n

The 22-year-old looks to have quick feet and loves taking on his man, hitting the byline and cutting balls across the face.<\/p>\n

There was no easing himself in at Rugby Park. Tounekti was demanding the ball and teammates quickly cottoned on to the fact he was the main danger man.<\/p>\n

He was invoked in just about every single move where the Hoops threatened and by the end he was ripping Killie to ribbons.<\/p>\n

The wide man will be disappointed to lose his man for the Killie goal but Tounekti could be a cracker.<\/p>\n

New Bhoys<\/p>\n

What a way to silence any doubter. Kelechi Iheadacho\u2019s arrival was almost ridiculed in some quarters, but the former Man City and Leicester man has plenty of experience and nerves of steel.<\/p>\n

It was a risk taking the spot kick but he did the business to secure the points.<\/p>\n

Elsewhere Marcelo Saracchi was handed his first start for Celts as well and he would have got pass marks for his wonderful cross for Maeda alone.<\/p>\n

But the borrowed Boca Juniors man did more than enough to endear himself otherwise.<\/p>\n

Youngster Colby Donovan was also more than decent on the right but on that other flank it was a tough afternoon for Michel-Ange Balikwisha. He copped flak for constantly cutting back at Ibrox and it was a similar story here.<\/p>\n

Even on his preferred right foot, there were times when he could have hit the byline but chose to hit the break.<\/p>\n

Rodgers was seen giving an ear bashing at one point and it\u2019s something to be worked on.<\/p>\n

Changed Daiz<\/p>\n

Daizen Maeda<\/a> apparently had emptied his Lennoxtown locker on deadline day ahead of an expected exit.<\/p>\n

Celtic blocked the move due to dithering over striker signings and even Rodgers admitted the attacker should have been sold.<\/p>\n

\"Celtic'sCeltic’s Daizen Maeda (left) celebrates after scoring(Image: PA)<\/p>\n

But here he was, back in the Hoops and needed up front. The Japanese ace is a hard man to read at the best of times but he didn\u2019t seem to be the happiest of chappies.<\/p>\n

That might be his natural look mind you as he got through his usual power of work.<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t really happening for almost an hour as he struggled for service and for space.<\/p>\n

Yet he found a bit of last season\u2019s magic when Celtic needed it most \u2013 throwing himself on to Saracchi\u2019s brilliant ball to nod in the vital opener.<\/p>\n

There should be no concerns over the hitman downing tools.<\/p>\n

Killie in superb shape<\/p>\n

Stuart Kettlewell\u2019s side might still be chasing their first win of the season and this one will sting.<\/p>\n

But they shouldn\u2019t feel too down though.<\/p>\n

Celtic\u2019s pressure and touch of class got them ahead but Killie were well in the game for long enough to make sure they still had a chance \u2013 and were seconds away from a fifth draw on the bounce.<\/p>\n

Kettlewell didn\u2019t exactly get the red carpet treatment when he was appointed but the punters have gradually been won over.<\/p>\n

The manager has recruited well and he\u2019s got his side looking like a classic Kilmarnock outfit, well organised and hard to beat.<\/p>\n

This is without key men such as Brad Lyons and Matty Kennedy as well and it should give Rugby Park fans plenty of optimism about the months to come.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Hoops returned to the top of the table after winning a penalty late on at Rugby Park…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":63860,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[9,10,1191,1187,9574,1193,18,13,14,6,19,17,45179,45178,11,12,15,16,5,1188,24104,7,8,9961,16507],"class_list":{"0":"post-63859","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-headlines","8":"tag-breaking-news","9":"tag-breakingnews","10":"tag-brendan-rodgers","11":"tag-celtic-fc","12":"tag-celtic-transfer-news","13":"tag-daizen-maeda","14":"tag-eire","15":"tag-featured-news","16":"tag-featurednews","17":"tag-headlines","18":"tag-ie","19":"tag-ireland","20":"tag-kelechi-iheanacho","21":"tag-kilmarnock-fc","22":"tag-latest-news","23":"tag-latestnews","24":"tag-main-news","25":"tag-mainnews","26":"tag-news","27":"tag-scottish-premiership","28":"tag-sebastian-tounekti","29":"tag-top-stories","30":"tag-topstories","31":"tag-transfer-talk","32":"tag-var"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63859","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=63859"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63859\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/63860"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=63859"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=63859"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=63859"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}