Celtic had to wait until the 87th minute to break the deadlock against St Mirren and pick up a first win of the season.
Brendan Rodgers‘ side looked like they were never going to overcome a resilient St Mirren side, however, substitute Luke McCowan came off the bench to fire home an 87th minute winner.
Adam Idah missed plenty of chances in front of goal but it’s a winning start for the Hoops, who already have a two-point head start on Glasgow derby rivals Rangers.
With that, here are five things we learned from Celtic’s narrow win against the Buddies.
Kieran Tierney’s back like he never left
Kieran Tierney’s return to Celtic Park officially happened, you weren’t dreaming it.
The left-back started the opening game of the season and was instantly looked at home on the pitch.
He brilliantly turned St Mirren defender Jayden Richardson inside out in the first half and whipped in some brilliant balls for his attacking teammates.
It’s great to have him back in the green and white.
Brendan Rodgers doesn’t trust Auston Trusty
There was plenty of talking around who would start alongside Cameron Carter-Vickers against the Buddies.
Auston Trusty has been tipped to have a strong season and the USMNT has looked sharp in pre-season.
Liam Scales has been a scapegoat for Celtic fans in the past but Rodgers has always been a fan of the defender and the choice to pick him ahead of Trusty suggests he has more faith in the Republic of Ireland international.
Adam Idah will worry about his Celtic future
The game was a big chance for Adam Idah to prove to the Celtic manager that he doesn’t need to go out and get another forward.
Tasked with leading the line from the start, Idah couldn’t get into the game and missed a handful of chances.
From a poor header in the first half to slamming his effort against the post, it’s clear to see why only Cyriel Dessers missed more big chances than the £9m forward last season.
Patience is wearing thin and more performances like that will see him lose his spot in the XI.
Celtic need to sign a winger
It’s becoming repetitive now but it’s so obvious that Celtic need to sign a winger.
Hyunjun Yang and Daizen Maeda were the two that started with James Forrest the only like-for-like replacement on the bench.
Maeda and Yang were both pretty quiet and although Forrest showed signs of life when he came on, Rodgers will be desperate to bring in some more recruits.
Celtic Park atmosphere felt flat
Flag day is usually a day of celebration and the start of a new season usually means there is excitement all around the ground.
Instead, Celtic Park felt rather flat. Maybe that was because St Mirren frustrated throughout the game but supporters seemed to be a lot quieter than usual.
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