Late strike keeps Celtic top

Celtic 2 Livingston 1

An 87th-minute strike by midfielder Shunsuke Nakamura gave Celtic a 2-1 win over Livingston and maintained their four point lead over Hearts at the top of Bank of Scotland Premier League.

Shaun Maloney’s 38th-minute penalty had given the home side an interval lead but a calamitous error by Hoops defender Bobo Balde just before the hour mark gifted Paul Dalglish the equaliser.

However, Balde’s blushes were spared by Nakamura with just three minutes to go when the talented midfielder scored a fine individual goal with an unstoppable strike from the edge of the penalty area.

It was the last meaningful incident in a rather strange day at Celtic Park which in several ways threatened to turn sour for the Glasgow giants.

There was a delay of approximately 45 minutes due to a power failure which had left the crowd a bit flat.

However, the mood inside Celtic Park was lifted when new signing Roy Keane made an appearance on the pitch minutes before kick-off.

There was a strong penalty claim in the fifth minute when Livi defender Harald Pinxten tackled Maloney in the visitors’ penalty area but referee John Underhill waved play on.

Moments later Celtic’s top scorer John Hartson mis-kicked from close range when the energetic Maloney set him up with a cut-back from the byline.

Livingston striker Dalglish, son of former Hoops player and manager Kenny Dalglish, came close in the ninth minute with a tremendous run which took three home defender’s out of the play before Artur Boruc pulled off a fine save from the angled shot.

Then Livi keeper Roddy McKenzie fortuitously saved a close-range drive from Maloney with his left foot before the Celtic striker missed with a header from the rebound.

The home side were firmly in control but Livingston showed in sporadic counter-attacks that they had the ability to snatch a goal.

In the 28th minute, following another spell of home pressure, Hartson cleverly laid the ball off to Stilian Petrov at the edge of the Livi penalty area but although the Bulgarian’s side-footed shot was accurate, it lacked the pace to worry McKenzie.

The home side continued to press and just after the half hour mark McKenzie again saved a Maloney shot from close range with his feet and the visitors comfortably survived the subsequent corner.

However, in the 38th minute the Hoops eventually went ahead courtesy of a stone-wall penalty. Livi defender Greg Strong recklessly pulled down Maloney in the penalty area as the Hoops striker weaved his way towards goal.

The diminutive striker picked himself up to lash the spot-kick past the helpless McKenzie which heralded a roar of relief around the stadium.

The West Lothian men were rocked and moments before the interval Maloney again tested McKenzie with a powerful right-footed shot but again the visiting keeper was equal to the task, parrying clear.

The Hoops supporters may have expected their side to come out strongly after the interval looking to build on their lead but there was a subdued atmosphere inside Celtic Park when the game restarted with the league leaders doing little to lift the crowd in the early moments.

The home fans came to life again however, when news filtered through from East End Park that Dunfermline had equalised against rivals Rangers.

In the 59th minute Livingston were gifted the equaliser when the home side contrived to lose a goal out of the blue thanks to the hapless Balde.

With no pressure on him initially, the big stopper tried to walk the ball out of his own penalty area and was robbed by Almondvale striker Robert Snodgrass.

The ball broke to the lurking Dalglish and the Livi striker wasted no time in unleashing a powerful drive from the edge of the box which gave Boruc no chance.

The incredulous Celtic fans immediately let Balde know what they thought of his indecision and thereafter followed a sense of agitation inside the stadium as the home side struggled to re-establish their dominance.

In the 74th minute Celtic brought on debutant Michael McGlinchey for Aiden McGeady but the youngster missed a glorious chance to become an instant hero four minutes later, firing wide from close range after being set up by Hartson.

Celtic continued to press against the tiring visitors and in the 87th minute they got their reward for their doggedness when Nakamura picked up a Paul Telfer pass, jinked past a couple of tackles then fired in a tremendous shot from the edge of the box to give the home side all three points.