PARTICK Thistle keeper Tomas Cerny saved a Scott Sinclair penalty as Ladbrokes Premiership champions Celtic dropped points for only the third time this season in a 1-1 draw.
The 28-year-old Hoops forward scored a hat-trick on Sunday at Tynecastle as Brendan Rodgers’ side clinched their sixth successive title with a thumping 5-0 win over Hearts.
A much-changed Celtic side struggled to reach those heights again in the first half bur four minutes after the break Sinclair confidently converted a Patrick Roberts pass for his 22nd goal of the season.
Jags striker Ade Azeez dramatically levelled in the 63rd minute and the Jags remained level when Cerny pushed away Sinclair’s penalty two minutes later to gain an invaluable point.
The Parkhead men remain unbeaten domestically this season with 28 wins and now three draws in league, previous draws against Inverness and Rangers blotting an almost-perfect copybook, while sixth-placed Thistle stretched their unbeaten run in the league to seven games with a disciplined and organised performance.
Rodgers was certainly utilising his squad as he was once again without strikers Moussa Dembele and Leigh Griffiths due to respective hamstring and back injuries.
Cristian Gamboa, Emilio Izaguirre, Erik Sviatchenko, Nir Bitton and Eboue Kouassi came in with the 19-year-old midfielder making his first start for the champions since signing from Krasnodar in the recent transfer window. Skipper Scott Brown, Kieran Tierney, Stuart Armstrong and James Forrest were left out.
Midfielder Tom Rogic was on the bench after a three-month absence due to an ankle problem.
Winger Patrick Roberts was again asked to lead the line for Celtic, backed from wide by Scott Sinclair.
The visitors grew into their defensive mode as the first-half progressed and Cerny’s first save in the 38th minute was comfortable, coming from Roberts’ curling drive from the edge of the box.
However, in the 49th minute, Roberts and Sinclair combined to great effect, the latter nipping in to take a through ball and direct it past Cerny.
Thistle’s task appeared to become increasingly Rogic replaced Kouassi and Armstrong came on for Izaguirre just after the hour mark.
However, moments later a Christie Elliot cross from the right was smartly tucked in at the near post by Azeez, to the surprise of most inside Celtic Park.
Sinclair was handed the chance to restore Celtic’s lead two minutes later when Thistle’s Callum Booth fouled Gamboa inside the box but Cerny dived to his right to save the penalty.
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