Celtic reaction: Surprise stand-out as Brendan Rodgers' side deliver attacking verve and menace in Dublin

It might seem obvious to concentrate on Celtic’s attacking verve when analysing what would have provided Brendan Rodgers encouragement from his team’s display in Dublin.

Wolverhampton Wanderers goalkeeper Jose Sa saves at the feet of Celtic’s Kyogo Furuhashi.

The Irishman did so himself in reflecting on the 1-1 draw with Wolves at the Aviva Stadium, and little wonder. The cohesion and incisiveness of Celtic’s front three of Kyogo Furuhashi flanked to his right and left by Liel Abada and Daizen Maeda had their English Premier League opposition bent out of shape in the first half hour. A typically crisp first-time finish from Furuhashi only six minutes in – the product of Maeda winning position high up and finding Abada to tee-up his team-mate – scant reward for the frisson in the final third Celtic produced throughout the opening exchanges, a passage in which Reo Hatate and Furuhashi both had deft attempts that struck the crossbar.

Yet, on a day in which new signings Yang Hyun-jun and Kwon Hyeok-kyu were given 30 minute second-half run-outs – among a plethora of changes that dulled Celtic’s edge – it was the performance of one of his makeshift back four that would have surely drawn satisfaction. There have been concerns over how Celtic would compensate for the injury absences of Alistair Johnston and Anthony Ralston as they head into the domestic season next Saturday in embarking on the defence of their Premiership crown at home to Ross County. These ought to have been largely assuage by the stand-out display from Tomoki Iwata in the right-back role. The 26-year-old arrived in the January transfer window as another Japanese performer expected to provide another midfield option. He had considerable experience of playing at centre-back, but his slight frame didn’t suggest that was a role he vie for regularly – though he was pressed into action there in the closing weeks of last season after Cameron Carter-Vickers required surgery for a knee problem.

In shackling Wolves key frontman Matheus Cunha in the Aviva courtesy of a display full of aggression and smart game management, Iwata’s contribution was as effective as any other in Celtic colours. Neither Kwon – despite demonstrating his dig in getting into all sorts of scrapes – and a roughed-up Yang having enough time on the pitch to find their grooves. Iwata ended the encounter back in central defence, where the little regarded Stephen Welsh and Liam Scales had largely stood up to the challenges offered by the Midlands club. They did so as Carl Starfelt, Cameron Carter-Vickers and Yuki Kobayashi did not feature in the matchday squad. Perhaps with a view to appearing in one of the two 45-minute teams that Rodgers intends to field when Celtic host Athletic Bilbao for James Forrest’s testimonial on Tuesday.

The contributions of Iwata, Welsh and Scales would have warranted a clean sheet and a win for Celtic. It was naughtily – shall we say – denied them when Matt Doherty paced towards the byline five minutes from normal time and, with no angle for a scoring chance, fell to a heap as Joe Hart at best brushed him with his fingertips. The referee fell for the, eh, fall, and Cunha’s conversion prevented Celtic engineering the outcome they appeared to be fizzing towards as the exhibited mighty menace across their initial attacking sorties.