On a day when some supporters decided to take action against the board with a protest at the start of the match, Celtic looked on course to drop points in the Scottish Premiership against Kilmarnock on Sunday.
The Hoops, who had drawn 0-0 with their city rivals before the international break, found themselves drawing 1-1 heading into stoppage time because of an equaliser from David Watson after Daizen Maeda had opened the scoring.
Given how the day started, the onlooking board members may have been fearing the reaction from the supporters if the full-time whistle had blown whilst the score was 1-1.
Fortunately, for them, the supporters, and the team, a stoppage-time penalty was awarded to the Premiership champions for a handball from James Forrest’s shot.
Kelechi Iheanacho stepped up to score from the spot with an emphatic penalty that thumped into the back of the net to win the match for the Hoops in the 96th minute.
It was a debut goal for the Nigeria international, signed on a free transfer the day after deadline day, and one that will hopefully tee him up for a successful season.
Why Kelechi Iheanacho's debut was a big positive for Celtic
Brendan Rodgers, who worked with the centre-forward at Leicester City in the Premier League, turned to the former Sevilla marksman in the 70th minute to replace Maeda whilst Celtic were winning 1-0.
There was nothing he could do, as a striker, to prevent Watson from equalising for the hosts from a corner, but his individual display showed plenty of signs of promise.
It was clear that the Nigerian number nine wanted to score. He was desperate to find the back of the net on his debut. Three of his nine touches on the pitch were shots: one was off target, one was blocked, and the third was the penalty that he scored to win the match.
Minutes
20
Touches
9
Shots
3
Goals
1
Passes completed
3/5
Duels won
0/2
As you can see in the table above, Iheanacho did lose both of his duels in the win over Kilmarnock, as he still looked a little bit short of full match sharpness, understandably.
The left-footed marksman had not played a competitive club match since Middlesbrough’s 2-0 defeat to Coventry City at the start of May in the English Championship, which means that it may take some time for the striker to get back to his best from a physical perspective.
With this in mind, Rodgers may slowly bed him into the team rather than chucking him in as a regular starter in the number nine position after his winning penalty on Sunday.
Iheanacho needs to build up his sharpness and that could come by alternating between being a starter and coming off the bench for a few matches before he is ready to fully kick on.
Chalkboard
Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.
Meanwhile, there is a summer signing made by Celtic who should already be deemed to be undroppable from the best starting XI after he made a positive impression against Kilmarnock.
Rodgers opted to hand Sebastian Tounekti, who signed on a permanent deal from Hammarby on deadline day, a debut on the left wing and was rewarded with an eye-catching display from the forward.
Why Sebastian Tounekti is undroppable for Celtic
Unlike Iheanacho, the Tunisia international was ready to be dropped straight into the starting XI because he had played six times for Hammarby in all competitions in August, per Sofascore.
This meant that the winger was fully fit and match sharp by the time he arrived at Celtic just before the international break, which helped him to hit the ground running with an impressive debut.
Rodgers opted to start Tounekti on the left flank, moving Michel-Ange Balikwisha over to the right, and the Tunisian star caught the eye with his fearless and confident performance, despite playing on an artificial surface that may have come as a shock to some players who are not used to that kind of pitch.
The 23-year-old star, who lined up with fellow new signing Marcelo Saracchi behind him, did not register a goal or an assist in the 2-1 win for Celtic, but his general play was enough to suggest that he will be an exciting player to watch this season.
Minutes
88
58
Touches
67
34
Shots
5
0
Chances created
4
1
Dribbles completed
5/9
0/1
Duels won
6
1
As you can see in the table above, Tounekti was way better than Balikwisha, who had started on the left against Rangers before the break, with five more shots, five more completed dribbles, and four times as many chances created.
These statistics show that the Tunisia international carried a far greater threat in the final third by constantly looking to make things happen with shots, dribbles, and key passes, whilst the Belgian attacker was too timid in his play.
This is why Tounekti should be considered undroppable by Rodgers already, because he has done more in one match on the left wing than Balikwisha has managed in his first two starts for the club, with one chance created and zero shots against Rangers and Kilmarnock, per Sofascore.
Celtic writer John McGinley noted that the former Hammarby forward “likes being a problem” for opposition defences with his fearless approach to the game, which is partly why his performance against Kilmarnock was so refreshing to see.
Tounekti was willing to take the game to the hosts by taking players on and taking risks with the ball at his feet, which is exactly what supporters want to see players doing to win matches.
Whilst it is now down to the player to prove that he can deliver consistent performances on the pitch, the new signing’s showing on Sunday should mean that he is now undroppable from the starting line-up.
Rodgers may have unearthed Celtic's next Tierney & it's not Saracchi
Celtic may have found their next Kieran Tierney and it is not Marcelo Saracchi.
ByDan Emery Sep 14, 2025
Meanwhile, Iheanacho still needs to prove his fitness and quality on the pitch before he can be considered an undroppable member of the best XI.