Inverness 3 Celtic 2: Caley Thistle stun Hoops to hand title initiative to Rangers

Opening salvo: Inverness celebrate scoring their first goal against Celtic

A Commons spot-kick two minutes into injury time gave Neil Lennon’s men fleeting hope, while an even later — but less convincing — penalty claim by Paddy McCourt might have secured the most spectacular comeback of the season, if only referee Stevie O’Reilly had been persuaded to award it by the clamour of Celtic voices.

That late denial caused Lennon to lash out, sending a pile of water bottles flying with a flailing boot. In truth, his outburst probably owed more to furious frustration over the display of his team during 90 miserable minutes — and the realisation that, with the finish line in sight, his players had handed the initiative back to their rivals.

If Rangers now win their three remaining games, Walter Smith will mark his second Ibrox farewell with a third straight SPL title.

Celtic must win their remaining trio of fixtures — away to Kilmarnock on Sunday, Hearts away next Wednesday and then Motherwell at home — while hoping that the reigning champions slip up.

Up for grabs: Celtic's Gary Hooper (centre) and Inverness's Lee Cox and Chris Innes battle for the ball

Hope will die hard in the hearts of true believers, of course, and few would predict the outcome of the remaining fixtures with any great certainty. Should Celtic fall short, however, there is no doubt that this will be identified as the night when their title ambitions died.

With Shaun Maloney making his first start since October, completing a long and painstaking comeback from injury after recent impact appearances off the bench, Celtic arrived in the Highlands looking to play football on a lush but pockmarked and rutted pitch.

Maloney’s inclusion in place of James Forrest was the only change from the side who cuffed Dundee United so comprehensively at the weekend. If it ain’t broke, etc ...

Inverness boss Terry Butcher went with a starting XI containing two of the players — Munro and Chris Innes — who have just been told they are being released at the end of next week. A couple of days after announcing that 10 players in total would be leaving, would Caley Thistle really be up for the fight?

Level pegging: Kris Commons (centre) celebrates scoring Celtic's equaliser

We soon had our answer, as the home side roared into the lead with seven minutes gone. A simple chip into the box by Kenny Gillet found the Celtic backline standing flat, allowing Sutherland to gather the ball and send in a low cross from the right.

His delivery found Adam Rooney haring in at the near post and, although the striker got a touch on the ball, Celtic defender Mulgrew was the man responsible for sending it past his own keeper.

In normal circumstances, going a goal down would be cause for concern in the Celtic ranks. Given the stakes that they’re playing for right now, some could have been forgiven for bypassing mild worry and heading straight to wild-eyed panic.

Yet, within two minutes of falling behind, the eager visitors delivered a perfect riposte, Commons striding into space and letting fly from 20 yards with a left-footed strike that took a slight deflection off Innes on the way past Ryan Esson.

A frenetic pace had been set, goalkeeper Fraser Forster making an eye-catching point-blank stop from Rooney after a sweet and subtle Aaron Doran flick just 30 seconds after the game’s second goal. We had yet to reach the 10-minute mark and there hadn’t been time to draw breath.

Fuming: Neil Lennon reacts in horror at his side's performance against Inverness

The game settled down to merely hectic after that rat-a-tat opening, with fewer clear-cut chances created in the headlong rush towards half-time.

Inverness were giving as good as they got, using Sutherland and Doran on the flanks in support of centre-forward Rooney, banking on Celtic’s central defenders struggling as they squinted into the low evening sun.

Celtic, for their part, kept nibbling around the edges of the Caley goal. Anthony Stokes and Gary Hooper were combining well, threatening to break through, while Commons came within inches of netting a second when his low drive slipped wide just after the half-hour.

Lennon had spent much of the first half growing increasingly agitated as he watched his team struggle to fully impose themselves on a surface more suited to shinty than flowing football.

He would not have been soothed by events after the break, as Caley left his Bhoys in their wake. They went 2-1 ahead with 53 minutes gone, Munro taking one touch and lashing a shot through a crowd after Daniel Majstorovic had failed to clear his lines with a weak header.

Pile up! Inverness celebrate scoring their second goal against Celtic

In need of something different, Lennon sent for striker Daryl Murphy from the bench — only to see the target man sustain a bloody head wound within seconds of his arrival. While he was off the pitch being bandaged up, Celtic fell further behind.

Once again, a poor Majstorovic header contributed to the opening, the ball collected and chipped back towards the far post by Nick Ross. Sutherland, who used to make the 12-hour round trip from his home in Wick to watch Celtic on Champions League nights, showed no sentiment as he sent a beautifully timed volley in off the post.

When Beram Kayal went off injured on a stretcher soon after, following a clash with Ross Tokely, the visitors lost their most tenacious competitor and creative distributor. Inverness could have capitalised with another two goals, at least, as the visitors chased the game.

Clincher: Shane Sutherland celebrates scoring Inverness' third goal