Ross County 1-4 Celtic: Kyogo brace moves leaders 18 points clear

Kyogo Furuhashi scored twice as Celtic beat Ross County 4-1 to move 18 points clear at the Scottish Premiership summit on Saturday.

Arne Engels and Luke McCowan were also on target in stoppage time for Brendan Rodgers’ side at Global Energy Stadium as they pulled further away from rivals Rangers.

The Hoops broke the deadlock five minutes before half-time with a swift move culminating in Kyogo turning home from Alistair Johnston’s cross.

However, Johnston was at fault at the other end when he bundled over Kieran Phillips just before the hour mark, allowing Jordan White to send Kasper Schmeichel the wrong way from the penalty spot.

Celtic regained their advantage with nine minutes left, as Kyogo rose to power home a header from Engels’ whipped delivery, despite the best efforts of Jordan Amissah.

James Brown’s challenge on Yang Hyun-Jun in the box handed Celtic the chance to increase their lead, but Engles saw his spot-kick brilliantly saved by Amissah.

However, the penalty was forced to be retaken after the County goalkeeper had stayed well off his line, with Engels making no mistake at the second attempt to score.

McCowan added further gloss to the scoreline two minutes later, taking his time after collecting the ball in the box before finishing coolly into the bottom left corner.

A Kyogo double and stoppage-time goals from Engels and McCowan secure all three points!#ROSCEL | #CelticFCpic.twitter.com/XeYtYeR3yZ

— Celtic Football Club (@CelticFC) January 11, 2025

Data Debrief: Lucky 13 for Celtic

Celtic maintained their dominance over Saturday’s opponents, who they have now beaten in each of the last 14 meetings between the sides across all competitions.

Engels put the result beyond doubt when he scored his fourth penalty of the season, the joint-highest total of any player in the Scottish Premiership (along with Bruce Anderson).

McCowan added a fourth goal later on, meaning the Hoops have now netted 13 times via substitutes this term, the highest total in the division.