CELTIC have scored only three goals in four games during their wretched start to 2021.
And they needed Nir Bitton’s first strike in over four years to help them to a 2-2 draw with Livingston in West Lothian last night.
Mohamed Elyounoussi was the other marksman as the Hoops picked up only their third point from a possible 12 as hopes of the historic tenth successive title disappear in a maze of mistakes.
David Turnbull is their only other scorer since the turn of the year with his superb free-kick in the 1-1 stalemate with Hibs in Glasgow last week.
Neil Lennon is struggling for firepower and the under-pressure gaffer explained why Odsonne Edouard was missing from the squad against Livi. He said: “Odsonne has a slight knee problem. He may be fit for the next one.”
The champions’ next game is against Hamilton Accies on Wednesday at Parkhead and they will also face a race to get Leigh Griffiths fit for the Premiership encounter. The frontman was lively against his former team and came close to a third goal with a swinging left-foot drive from 20 yards that edged just over the crossbar.
He went down following a challenge shortly afterwards and was replaced in the 69th minute by the ineffective Patryk Klimala.
Albian Ajeti, the £5million summer arrival from West Ham, remained on the substitutes’ bench as Lennon gave the last-gasp nod to Mikey Johnston to grab a crucial goal when he went on for David Turnbull in the 82nd minute, moments before Scott Brown’s foolish red card.
Lennon now has a week to try to solve his striking problem before the arrival of Accies who were the first visitors to the home of the champions on August 2 when Edouard knocked in a hat-trick. Astonishingly, the Frenchman has only added four more league goals in a dire campaign – and three of them have come from the penalty spot.
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