It was far from fluent from Celtic but a dominant display against Livingston saw Kyogo and an own goal from Ayo Obileye restore their nine-point lead at the top of the Premiership with a 2-1 victory.
Ange Postecoglou said he expected a fast start against a Livingston team who were fresh after a long break but it didn't quite pan out that way. The early stages saw the Hoops dominate possession and territory but David Martindale's half-joking pre-match threat that they would go out in a '1-9-1' formation ultimately came to fruition.
The visitors set up in banks of five and four behind lone striker Bruce Anderson and it frustrated Celtic but they were undeterred and looked for any route through they could find. Anthony Ralston shaved the top of the bar with an angled strike from range before the breakthrough eventually came midway through the first half, with Liel Abada's cross deflected unfortunately into his own net by Obileye.
With ten minutes until half-time, Martindale's team had barely left their own half and the home side's complete and utter dominance suggested it was just a matter of time before the goals would surely soon flow. They'd had 12 shots, five of which were on target before Livingston so much as mounted a meaningful attack, which fizzled out when Joe Hart punched a corner-kick into orbit.
Ralston tested Ivan Konovalov with a powerful strike from the edge of the box while a curling Jota effort was well held by the big Russian who came under increasing pressure. After a shout for handball following another Jota shot, the big keeper was eventually beaten for a second time when Kyogo converted Liel Abada's cross, much to the relief of the home crowd who had been growing slightly anxious.
It might have got out of hand from there, had Livingston not struck back out of nowhere through skipper Devlin. The right-back, making his 100th top flight appearance, took advantage of some sleepy defending following a long ball over the top and refused to give up on it, beating Greg Taylor to the ball and squirming it past Hart to give his side a lifeline.
The second half started with more of the same as Celtic opted for the death by a thousand cuts approach - the only one available to them, in truth, when faced with a robust Livingston side whose shape denied them space in behind and made life difficult in front of goal.
They thought the third goal had eventually arrived but Morgan Boyes' blushes were spared after a defensive howler. Losing his footing at the crucial moment, he made an almighty mess of a routine clearance to allow Abada in for a simple finish, but a lengthy VAR check ruled the winger offside - a controversial decision considering the last intentional touch of the ball before it fell to him came off the centre-back.
Greg Taylor, shifted over to right-back following an injury to Ralston, came marauding inside and nearly added a third near the end but an insurance policy wasn't required as the Hoops saw out their 11th Premiership win on the trot. Here are Record Sport's three talking points.
Abada's impact
Speaking on the radio ahead of the game, Postecoglou identified Abada as Celtic's best goal threat from out wide and after a game against Aberdeen that was oh so frustrating for 87 minutes, that is likely why he was back in for Daizen Maeda here. And there's no denying that call made the difference.
It was his cross that directly led to the opener and he burst forward to put it on a plate for Kyogo to double the lead before Devlin instantly pulled one back. He provided what they were missing for most of the game at Pittodrie and offers something completely different to Jota on the other side, who was unable to provide anything decisive in a rare off-day as far as his end product was concerned.
He would have felt aggrieved to see his tenth of the season chalked off after Boyes' error but Abada continues to prove himself as a highly valuable asset. He may not get the credit of some of the other attacking options in the Celtic squad but he's the secret weapon ready to be unleashed when Postecoglou needs him. He needed him tonight, and the Israeli answered the call.
Persistence pays off
Livingston deserve a lot of credit for keeping this game alive for as long as they did. They barely left their own half in the first 45 and went into the break with less than 20 per cent possession, but there was a body in front of almost everything Celtic threw at them.
They took their big chance when it came too, but when you're playing a game almost exclusively inside your own third, you need a lot of luck to keep the goals out. That luck gave out under the pressure when Obileye diverted a cross into his own net and in the end, Celtic's ceaseless and persistent probing eventually paid off in the form of three points.
It was clear though why Livingston are where they are in the league. Despite defeat, they remain in the top six, and could go as high as fourth if they win their game in hand on Aberdeen and St Johnstone. If this is the benchmark for their defensive discipline then there is no doubt they will be nearer the top than the bottom come the end of the season.
Midfield synergy
Despite his spell out with injury before the break, Callum McGregor remains Celtic's third-most used central midfielder this season. The only two with more? Reo Hatate and Matt O'Riley. No points for guessing which midfield trio started this one, then.
The telepathic understanding they've struck up over game after game in the trenches together was a big part of why they won this. While Celtic weren't firing in front of goal, Livi were unable to get out of their own third for long, tiring spells, and that was because of the three amigos in midfield cutting off every out-ball at source and wearing them down.
In Aaron Mooy and David Turnbull, there are two capable and proven midfielders waiting in the wings, and that's before you get to fringe men like Oliver Abildgaard, Yosuke Ideguchi and James McCarthy. But you get the impression that the supporting cast will need to wait for their chances as there has been nothing to merit one of the starting trio losing their spots.
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