Ten-man Celtic pegged back by Eamonn Brophy strike as Hamilton claim point

26 February 2016 23:23

A superb strike by substitute Eamonn Brophy gave Hamilton a 1-1 draw against Ladbrokes Premiership leaders Celtic, who played the majority of the game with 10 men.

Hoops striker Leigh Griffiths scored from the spot in the 35th minute after being brought down by Dougie Imrie before Parkhead defender Dedryck Boyata was shown a red card by referee Craig Thomson for a last man tackle on Carlton Morris just outside the box.

In the 65th minute, Accies goalkeeper and skipper Michael McGovern saved a Griffiths penalty after Thomson had penalised defender Ziggy Gordon for wrestling with Celtic counterpart Mikael Lustig at a corner.

Brophy - who had scored in the 8-1 defeat at Parkhead in January - came on for Darren Lyon in the 70th minute and levelled four minutes later with a drive from inside the box for a share of the spoils which took Celtic seven points clear of Aberdeen, who host St Johnstone on Saturday.

It was certainly an eventful evening.

Scott Allan was handed his first domestic start for Celtic but despite helping the Hoops take a grip on early proceedings, it was Accies who missed a great chance in the 17th minute after a slip by Parkhead skipper Scott Brown.

With the Hoops' defence exposed, Morris played in Ali Crawford but with only stand-in keeper Logan Bailly to beat - Craig Gordon was on the bench - the midfielder lofted his shot over the bar.

Celtic retained control without troubling McGovern and slowly Hamilton began to emerge from their defensive shell, stretching the game.

However, 10 minutes before the break Griffiths was handed an opportunity to take his tally to 33 goals for the season when he was clipped in the penalty area by Imrie.

Referee Thomson pointed to the spot before the Scotland striker slammed the ball past McGovern, who dived the wrong way.

There was more drama and some controversy in the 41st minute when Thomson flashed a red card at Boyata after he tackled Morris at the edge of the box as the Accies forward bore down on goal, while television replays suggested the Parkhead defender had got a touch on the ball.

The free-kick came to nothing but the visitors had to rearrange their defence with Charlie Mulgrew replacing Kris Commons.

Bailly made a decent save from Crawford's drive as Accies tried to capitalise on their one-man advantage before the break.

Celtic pushed forward at the start of the second half apparently ignoring the numerical disparity.

In the 51st minute McGovern came to the rescue of Accies when he blocked a close-range shot from Gary Mackay-Steven, after a defensive block by left-back Kieran Tierney fell into his path.

The champions looked dangerous on the break and Griffiths missed the target with a curling effort in the 62nd minute then forced a save from McGovern moments later.

Controversy continued when Thomson pointed again to the spot after Gordon had his arms around Lustig at a corner, but McGovern guessed correctly and pushed Griffiths' effort round the post.

The game took another twist moments after Brophy replaced Lyon, an Imrie corner landing kindly at his feet inside the box before he slammed it high past Bailly into the net.

Ryan Christie replaced Mackay-Steven as Celtic went for the winner - there was a penalty claim when a Tierney cross hit Gordon - and although Accies responded positively too, neither side could get the winner.

Source: PA