Brendan Rodgers reveals what his feeling was ahead of Kelechi Iheanacho Celtic winner

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Kelechi Iheanacho’s winning penalty for Celtic against Kilmarnock was a huge moment.

Coming on for his Celtic debut, the Nigerian striker had a point to prove having been signed to little fanfare after the closure of the summer transfer window.

Iheanacho was reunited with Brendan Rodgers following his release from Sevilla, which came after a challenging 2025-26 campaign.

He was at Leicester for Rodgers’ entire spell at the King Power Stadium, and joins Kasper Schmeichel in playing under Rodgers in both Glasgow and the Midlands.

And Rodgers has now opened up on the call which led to Iheanacho’s winning spot-kick, and the ‘feeling’ that he had.

Brendan Rodgers says he had confidence in Kelechi Iheanacho

Rodgers would not have facilitated Iheanacho’s arrival if he didn’t have faith in the forward, but the signing came from a position of desperation after several departures weren’t replaced.

So there was bound to be question marks over Iheanacho’s readiness to step up to the plate – but the spot-kick was a great first step in answering that.

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Speaking to Celtic TV, Rodgers said: “Obviously Benji was taking it – which I love, I love that confidence. So, he was great.

“He had been on and wanted to take the penalty, but I had confidence in Kels taking it. We used to have a prescribed penalty taker, but when they are not on the field it’s about a feeling.

“And my feeling was that for Kels – for a number of reasons – it would benefit him, his confidence and also his connection with the supporters. It was a really, really good finish when it counts.”

The moment was a perfect start for Iheanacho’s Celtic career.

What will Celtic’s attack look like with Kelechi Iheanacho?

The arrival of two left-wingers in Sebastian Tounekti and Michel-Ange Balikwisha has left Rodgers’ attacking options feeling somewhat imbalanced.

The latter showed his ability to play on the other side at Rugby Park, but he is yet to show his best form after his first two appearances.

Given this competition on the left, Daizen Maeda is now likely to be used through the middle, putting in him in direct competition with Iheanacho.

Maeda was also on the scoresheet in the match, opening the scoring with a great diving header. It remains to be seen whether Rodgers is prepared to take his Player of the Year from last season out of the starting XI to facilitate Iheanacho.