Loovens gets jump on unlucky Caley: Inverness CT 1, Celtic 2

The travelling supporters were comfortable enough at 2-1 up with 10 minutes left to sing: "Who the fuck are Man United?"

On this evidence the quick answer to that is: "The side who are going to spank your team in the Champions' League on Tuesday."

Yesterday's score suggested it was a tight game and it was, so close that in the final six minutes, including five in injury time, the ball bobbled dangerously around the Celtic area on three occasions, begging to be touched in for an equaliser.

It was not to be, so goals from Scott Brown and Glen Loovens were good enough for victory, and Garry Wood's strike for Caley nothing but a consolation. A first-half failure to convert a great chance with only the goalkeeper to beat will have Wood kicking himself for some time.

"It was a poor first half and a poor-to-average second half," said Celtic's manager, Gordon Strachan, whose injury list grows. Both his main strikers, Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink and Georgios Samaras, are now unavailable, as is one deputy, Chris Killen, while Gary Caldwell had stitches in his foot yesterday and the midfielder Marc Crosas pulled a hamstring.

Celtic looked confused for long periods, untidily shaped, lacking in conviction andreliant on the diminutive Scott McDonald as a target man.

Caley had the best first-half chances, Dougie Imrie firing over from a free-kick, then Wood smashing a shot wastefully low with only the goalkeeper, Artur Boruc, already grounded, to beat. Boruc saved with his feet.

Brown's opener came in the 48th minute from Lee Naylor's cross after good approach play by Barry Robson. Caley's Phil McGuire left on a stretcher with a leg problem before Celtic made a double substitution then scored a second goal moments later when Loovens headed in Robson's cross.

In the corresponding fixture last year, Celtic took a 2-0 lead only to lose 3-2, and when Caley pulled a goal back a repeat became feasible. Ross Tokely's cross was headed on by the substitute Adam Rooney, and Wood bundled in. But as hard as the hosts pushed, they could not level, let alone win.