Kilmarnock manager Derek McInnes rues missed opportunity to take points off Celtic as he hails Brendan Rodgers’ backline…
Derek McInnes at Rugby Park. Photo Vagelis Georgariou for The Celtic Star.
A notoriously challenging away venue
The Hoops were slightly fortunate to have come away from Rugby Park picking up all three points, but they showed a different way to win at a notoriously challenging away venue in recent seasons.
Goals from captain Callum McGregor on the stroke of half-time and a scintillating second-half strike from Nicolas Kuhn grabbed all three points for the Scottish champions who returned to the foot of the Scottish Premiership table.
10 wins and a draw from 11 games
10 wins from 11 after the first round of league matches, progression to the Scottish League Cup final, and being a victory away from sealing Champions League knockout play-off football puts Brendan Rodgers’ side in a sensational position for when they return from November’s international break.
Killie’s XG [2.40] second only to Dortmund’s [2.60]
However, the Hoops done it the hard way as Kaspar Schmeichel was peppered with shots throughout the course of the entire game. It is the most shots Celtic have faced in a league match since the SPFL’s revamp of the competition a decade ago. Killie also built up a higher XG [2.40] than any other domestic opponent the Celts have faced this season. Only Bundesliga outfit Borussia Dortmund have amassed a greater expected goals count [2.60] than Kilmarnock in competitive matches versus Celtic this campaign.
READ THIS…“It was a brilliant win for us. It was never going to be like last Saturday or Tuesday,” Rodgers
Kasper Schmeichel was Man of the Match. Photo Vagelis Georgariou for The Celtic Star
Meanwhile, Kilmarnock remain in eighth position after 12 games but are only three points behind Neil Critchley’s Hearts who linger in that relegation play-off spot in 11th exemplifying how compact the league actually is.
McInnes will be delighted that barring any Scottish Cup meeting between the two sides, he will not meet the Scottish champions until April 2025.
Post match hard luck stories
Speaking to Sky Sports post-match, the Kilmarnock boss was delighted with his sides approach to the game yesterday afternoon but was disappointed to have not collected any points from a close encounter with Celtic.
Derek McInnes on Kilmarnock’s 2-0 defeat to Celtic & Reo Hatate’s challenge ⬇️
– Sunday, November 10, 2024
“We don’t take our chances that were presented to us, if I actually look at the stats in terms of if I thought we could get something, like as many shots as we did, as many touches in the opposition box as we did, the amount of times we turned the ball over, the game played out the way I was kind of hoping. It wasn’t just about work rate and winning the ball, it was actually looking after the next pass and getting to Celtic’s back lot as quickly as we could at times and causing them problems.”
Sucker punch right before half-time
Adam Idah celebrates the opener which was scored by Callum McGregor. Photo by Vagelis Georgariou for The Celtic Star
“The goal is a sucker punch right before half-time. It is at a time when Kyle Vassell’s achillies has caused him problems, and we can’t quite get pressure on the ball to McGregor, and it came out of nothing really, but that is the quality. If you allow good players like that to play a forward pass in those types of areas, they have the quality.”
READ THIS…Kasper denies Killie – Celtic’s Rugby Park triumph down to Great Dane
Nicolas Kuhn scores Celtic’s second goal against Kilmarnock. Photo Vagelis Georgariou for The Celtic Star
McInnes added, “the performance, full of pride, in terms of the effort, how we tried to execute what we wanted to do, and I do think on another day when you see the amount of shots we’ve had, and the XG, everything that was so good for us but we don’t score.
Hit the woodwork, we have chances, they have good blocks
“We hit the woodwork, we have chances, they have good blocks, and you have to say Celtic for as much as they have good players and they normally enjoy control of games, I don’t think they’re had that control, but I thought they defended well at times today.”
Have a listen to the end of Derek McInnes’ post match media conference below…
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Celtic fans protest at Rugby Park. Photo Vagelis Georgariou
READ THIS…Sandman’s Definitive Ratings – Celtic at Salem’s Lot
Celtic in the Thirties by Celtic Historian Matt Corr is published in two volumes by Celtic Star Books. OUT NOW!
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Kasper denies Killie – Celtic’s Rugby Park triumph down to Great Dane
“It was a brilliant win for us. It was never going to be like last Saturday or Tuesday,” Brendan Rodgers
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