Celtic vs Inverness CT. Scottish Premiership.
Celtic ParkAttendance54,152.
Sunday 6 November 2016 18:08, UK
Celtic go into the international break with their unbeaten record intact after goals from Scott Sinclair, Leigh Griffiths and Tom Rogic finally broke Inverness' stubborn resistance at Parkhead.
But the 3-0 victory came at a cost with Mikael Lustig and Scott Brown both forced off with injuries, and the latter's much-touted international comeback at Wembley next Friday could now be in doubt.
Inverness are the only team to have taken a point off Celtic in the league this term but they had lost their last six visits at this venue - by an aggregate score of 24-2.
Nonetheless, Brendan Rodgers had demanded a focused attacking approach before the game and the manager would not have been best pleased with his team's lacklustre start.
Slipshod defensive play - not helped by the early loss of Lustig with an ankle knock - presented Lonsana Doumbouya with a sight of goal but the Frenchman failed to hit the target.
Celtic slowly bared their claws and Griffiths - making his first start in nearly two months - will wonder how he did not score as Owain Fon Williams tipped his point-blank effort onto the bar and over.
They were mutterings among the home support as Stuart Armstrong made a mess of a back-post header while Sinclair flickered into life as he cut inside to make space but lashed over the top.
But the former Manchester City wideman got his bearings right as he latched onto a lofted pass from Callum McGregor and slotted under Fon Williams three minutes after half-time.
Brown then departed the fray but Celtic had now found their range and Griffiths was on hand to tap in his ninth goal of the season after Moussa Dembele's shot was parried by Fon Williams.
To rub salt in the Inverness wounds, Greg Tansey picked up a second yellow for taking out McGregor in the build up to the goal.
The wind had gone out of the sails of the ten men - who were to lose Liam Polworth to injury - as the hosts turned the screw and substitute Rogic was the man to profit, cracking home the third (83) after Patrick Roberts and Armstrong had done the spadework.
