Celtic verdict: One man made such a difference to Neil Lennon's team

There was barely a passing resemblance between two Celtic teams this week.

Scott Brown opens the scoring for Celtic with a tidy header in their 4-0 victory in Kilmarnock. (Photo by Rob Casey / SNS Group)

In other words, the one that last night motored to their biggest win at Rugby Park in close on nine years and the one that blew a gasket in suffering a first home loss in three decades to St MIrren at the weekend. It was hard to escape the feeling that, even if Neil Lennon changed almost half his starting line-up from that brutal showing, the difference in the registering of a 3-0 victory for Celtic came down to the re-appearance of one man: Scott Brown. The club captain seemed leg weary and, even perhaps, mentally jaundiced, when giving way to the younger, quicker Ismaila Soro two months ago.

It was a necessary change. Yet, equally, so was restoring him, Soro’s form having dipped and Celtic suffering from a lack of leadership. Brown gave them the direction, drive and sense of authority they had been crying out for against a Kilmarnock team themselves lacking all such qualities in having parted company with their manager Alex Dyer at the weekend. Yet, the 35-year-old gave them more all that in also opening the scoring 28 minutes in. A deft header wherein he corkscrewed his body to direct a David Turnbull corner low into the net was reward for early domination.

Lennon’s recast side gave him the response he demanded in all departments. New Everton loanee Jonjoe Kenny was competent and efficient, and the same could be said of Stephen Welsh in his central defensive partnership. That might not sound much, but when considering the desperate moments endured by the dropped Shane Duffy so often this season, it gave Celtic a platform.

It was one they capitalised on with another commodity they have often lacked this season: favourable breaks. Albian Ajeti effectively bought a penalty when crumpling under little contact from keeper Colin Doyle eight minutes into the second period. Odsonne Edouard converted with that infuriating stuttering run-up, and then nine minutes later doubled his own tally courtesy of a glorious chip from the sublime Turnbull that sent him away down the right. Yet, though he finished with aplomb, he appeared marginally offside when receiving the ball. An effort on the half turn in the closing minutes allowed Ajeti to bag his first goal since September and complete a satisfying night’s work for Lennon and his men.

It doesn’t change anything pertaining to the non-existent title race or the fact that Lennon’s position should already have been addressed. It did, though, indicate just how much Celtic have needlessly under-performed at so many other junctures in this sorry campaign. For the display they produced in Ayrshire hardly required them to be more than simply on their mettle – as could be said of so many of the 10 Premiership encounters in which they have dropped points.

Kilmarnock: Doyle; Millen, Dikamona, Ibsen Rossi, Haunstrup; Burke, Power, Dicker (Pierrick 71), Tshibola, McKenzie; Oakley (Kabamba 71).

Celtic: Bain; Kenny, Ajer, Welsh, Taylor (Laxalt 90+1); Brown, McGregor, Turnbull (Johnston 74); Christie (Elyounoussi 70), Edouard (Klimala 73), Ajeti.

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