Celtic made to work for Scottish Cup win over Kilmarnock

Celtic began their defence of the Scottish Gas Scottish Cup with a 2-1 fourth-round win over a spirited Kilmarnock side at Parkhead.

Killie keeper Robby McCrorie was injured with less than a minute played and had to be replaced by Kieran O’Hara, who was beaten in the 12th minute by Celtic skipper Callum McGregor’s drive from distance.

The holders should have stretched their lead thereafter but were stunned in added time in the first half when teenage Rugby Park striker Bobby Wales levelled from close range.

Celtic stepped up the pressure after the break and Daizen Maeda struck in the 70th minute but they could not subdue Derek McInnes’s side, who kept the tie alive and nervy until the final whistle.

In his two spells as Celtic boss, Rodgers has come out on top in all 18 ties which have won him the famous old trophy three times.

And few would bet against the Hoops retaining the cup this season, when the Premier Sports Cup is already in the trophy room and a 13-point lead over Rangers at the top of the William Hill Premiership will surely see the title remain at Parkhead.

Before the game the Celtic Park crowd showed their respect for former Manchester United and Scotland striker Denis Law, who died on Friday, with a minute’s applause.

There was less than 30 seconds on the clock when former Rangers keeper McCrorie rushed from his goal to thwart Nicolas Kuhn, back in the home side along with Reo Hatate, Arne Engels and Maeda, and took the Celtic winger’s knee to his face to end his game, with O’Hara taking over.

In the eighth minute Killie’s Fraser Murray beat Celtic keeper Kasper Schmeichel with a curling free-kick from 25 yards but the ball rebounded off the bar and seconds later Hoops striker Maeda was at the other end having his shot saved by O’Hara.

The substitute, however, had little chance when McGregor took a pass from attacker Kyogo Furuhashi and strode forward before drilling a low drive from 25 yards into the corner of the net.

The game was stretched, which suited Celtic who cut through easily and often.

Furuhashi failed to hit the target after he was sent clear on goal by Hatate, who missed a sitter just before the half-hour mark when he lofted a cross from Engels over the bar from five yards out.

There were more injury problems for the Ayrshire side as midfielder Brad Lyons limped off to be replaced by Danny Armstrong.

Then out of the blue, Killie equalised. Wales, 19, sneaked in at the back post to bundle in a cross from Murray – although the ball appeared to have been helped on by Robbie Deas’s arm.

A VAR check confirmed the goal, with suggestions that the arm was tucked into the Kilmarnock defender’s body which ruled out an infringement.

Celtic’s dominance resumed in the second half and the Ayrshire men – going man-for-man at the back at times – had to work hard to keep them at bay.

It was Kuhn who was instrumental in Celtic regaining the lead, his pass to Maeda after a driving run into the Killie defence swept into the next from six yards by the Japan international.

Moments later, Kuhn crashed a shot from distance off the Kilmarnock crossbar before O’Hara made a fine save from Hatate.

Kilmarnock kept going and Schmeichel was forced into a save from Deas and at the other end, after a three-versus-one attack, Kuhn slid his shot past the far post.

Maeda had the ball in the net in the final minute of regulation time but the offside flag was up, and then swung another shot high over the bar with another poor Celtic finish.