Ross County 1-3 Celtic: Champions snatch late win

Moritz Jenz rescued Celtic with a late goal on his debut as the Scottish champions delivered an "outstanding" response to being pegged back by impressive Ross County.

But Alex Iacovitti thundered in a header to equalise and Joe Hart superbly denied County's Owura Edwards.

Jenz glanced home on 84 minutes and Liel Abada's strike made the win safe.

• Reaction & as it happened

"His overall performance was really good, he's fitting in well and training really well," manager Ange Postecoglou said of defender Jenz, who has signed on loan from Lorient for the season.

"Our response was outstanding. We stuck to our task, played our football, scored another good goal and even then there was no thought of stopping there, we got our third and I'm really pleased with every aspect of our game."

For all their 83% possession in the first half, Celtic failed to find a breakthrough as County provided stout resistance.

Jota's attempt was diverted narrowly wide by Jack Baldwin and Daizen Maeda failed to keep a header low enough to trouble Ross Laidlaw.

Kyogo and Jota combined well on the edge of the box to set up the former for a shot that was saved well by the County goalkeeper.

As the half drew to a close, Celtic's frustration grew as Matt O'Riley had a chance blocked by an exceptional sliding challenge from Baldwin and Maeda forced Laidlaw into a reflex save.

The game burst to life within minutes of the restart as Callum McGregor played a weighted pass to Jota, who took an intelligent touch past a defender before picking out Kyogo in front of goal for a simple finish.

The goal seemed to intensify County's endeavour, as they enjoyed decent attacking possession before Iacovitti bulleted home an Edwards corner just short of the hour.

Celtic toiled in search of a second goal until centre-back Jenz glanced a header home from a terrific Jota cross to send the travelling support wild.

Intricate play on the edge of the area allowed Abada to finish off an impressive attacking move with a curling effort in injury time to guarantee all three points.

Man of the match - Jota

No cause for County concern

Ross County have zero points from a possible six, but they still have more than enough potential to be a surprise package this season.

An impressive attacking display on the opening weekend and a solid defensive performance this afternoon will give Malky Mackay more than enough encouragement as the season gets going.

For Celtic, what a coup Jota's signing is. The winger, who shone on loan last season before returning on a permanent deal this summer, notched three assists in another inspirational display.

A potential downside for Postecoglou will be how frustrated his side were in the opening 45 minutes. 83% possession, 339 passes, 112 in the final third, yet only three shots on target.

The strength in depth of his bench, though, proved crucial with Abada making an impact after his half-time introduction.

What they said

Ross County manager Malky Mackay: "I was really pleased with the game-plan and that the players stuck to it. I don't think Celtic broke us down too many times.

"There's a lot to be looking positively at for us in the coming weeks."

Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou: "I'm really happy with the result and the performance. It's a difficult place to come but the players were outstanding at controlling the game and minimising their threats."

What's next?

Ross County are away to St Mirren next Saturday (15:00 BST), while Celtic visit Kilmarnock the following day at noon.