Celtic secured their place in the next round of the Scottish Cup with a 2-1 win over Kilmarnock, but Brendan Rodgers acknowledged his team once again made things harder than they needed to be.
The performance bore similarities to their midweek draw against Dundee, with the Hoops struggling to turn dominance into a comfortable result.
Despite controlling much of the first half and carving out a number of clear chances, Celtic’s poor finishing allowed Kilmarnock to stay in the game.
Solid defensive efforts from the visitors further frustrated the home side, leading to a tense second half at Celtic Park.
Celtic had appeared in control early on, moving the ball with purpose and creating several excellent opportunities. However, a lack of clinical finishing prevented them from taking a commanding lead, leaving the match finely balanced.
McInnes criticism of referee Nick Walsh’s decision to award a free kick to Celtic in the build-up to Maeda’s winner:
He said: “It should’ve been a foul for us. How the fourth official can give it the other way I don’t know. I saw it back, Auston Trusty fouled Watkins.
“Then they don’t take it from where the foul was, it’s 20 yards further forward. It was quickly put out to the other side while we’re still debating it and 20 seconds later it’s in the back of our net.
“If we’re not going to get the foul, at least make sure it’s taken from the right spot. Nicolas Kuhn is a top player and he slides Maeda in to score. There are acceptable ways to lose a cup tie and I thought we did that today.”
Reflecting on the game, Rodgers remarked: [Celtic TV]
“I thought that we created a lot of opportunities in the game.
“The game should have been dead by half time. That’s the reality because there were really good chances.
“Sometimes there are maybe half-chances, but there were so many good areas through really good bits of play and we didn’t quite take the opportunities.
“Then of course, from a defensive throw, we concede, but, okay, we reinforce our good moments at half time, but also we need to tighten up.
“In the second half again, we created opportunities, defended well in the main, because there were a lot of long balls, a lot of throw-ins from the side and everything else.
“So, we dealt really well with it and it was good to get into the next round.”
In the second half, Celtic increased the intensity, eventually finding a decisive goal through Daizen Maeda.
The Japanese winger kept his composure to slot home and settle the nerves of the Celtic Park faithful, ensuring their progression in the cup.
Despite the win, the performance is likely to frustrate fans who have seen similar issues crop up in recent weeks.
Like the draw against Dundee and other matches in recent months, Celtic’s wastefulness in attack and lapses in defensive focus have offered encouragement to their opponents.
While the result was ultimately a positive one, Rodgers will be eager to iron out these recurring problems, especially with key Champions League games fast approaching.
