They huffed and they puffed but they got there in the end as Celtic saw off Kilmarnock as they kicked off their defence of the Scottish Cup.
It looked as though a straightforward afternoon was on the cards when Callum McGregor put Celtic in front after just 12 minutes before Bobby Wales levelled, controversially, before the break.
Daizen Maeda restored Celtic’s lead on the 70 minute mark as Celtic headed into the fifth round.
Kilmarnock had two early set backs to coper with; one when Robby McCrorie was forced off after he was involved in a collision with Nicolas Kuhn. Kyogo had sent the winger through after just 20 seconds with McCrorie racing off his line to to deny him.
In the process he took a knock to the head and was forced to leave the pitch sporting what looked like a dangerously swollen eye.
When McGregor gave Celtic the lead shortly after with a raking drive from the edge of the box into the bottom corner it looked like it could well by a long afternoon for Derek McInnes’ side.
Yet, as Celtic passed up a procession of opportunities – chief among the missed was Reo Hatate blasting an effort over the bar from close range that would have put Celtic into a far more commanding position – there was a growing sense of frustration.
As there opening period drew to a close and Kilmarnock, encouraged at still being in the game, tried to ask questions of their own of Celtic, there was a controversial leveller as 19-year-old Bobby Wales beat Kasper Schmeichel from close range.
With Danny Armstrong’s cross coming off the arm of Robbie Deas there was a prolonged VAR check with officials ruling that the player’s arm had been tucked in against his body. It meant the ball took a fortuitous touch and fell kindly into the path of Wales at the back post who simply tapped in from close range.
Hatate scorned another opportunity in the opening stages of the second period with a tame effort straight into the arms of Kieran O’Hara.
As the anxiety within the stadium grew, Celtic restored their lead with Kuhn the supplier as he slipped the ball into the path of Maeda.
The striker, in acres of space, calmly dispatched his effort low into the net.
Lifted, Celtic kept their foot to the floor with Kuhn clipping the crossbar with a rasping effort before the O’Hara denied Hatate from the half-volleyed rebound.
Maeda had the ball in the back of the net in added time only for VAR to rule that Adam Idah was offside in the build-up.
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