Celtic left it as late as possible in the Scottish Cup on Saturday night.
The tie with Dundee perfectly illustrated how Martin O’Neill’s side are currently finding ways to win rather than dazzling, grinding out results even when performances fall short.
Extra time was required at Parkhead, and it took a debut goal from Junior Adamu in the 97th minute to rescue the holders. His sharp finish dragged the match beyond the 90 minutes and, once that happened, the momentum felt firmly with the Hoops.
Despite the heartbreak for Dundee, Steven Pressley showed real grace in defeat and accepted the manner of Celtic’s comeback.
Pressley reflects on Celtic’s knack for late drama
Kieran Tierney went down for treatment just as the fourth official signalled five minutes of stoppage time, making it inevitable that play would run on longer than first indicated.
Pressley made no issue of the extra time played before Adamu struck. Instead, he pointed to what he believes is a defining trait of clubs like Celtic, their ability to strike late when pressure is at its highest.
“It’s tough to concede so late,” Pressley admitted. “There was just one more phase we needed to defend.
“If we get through that, we are talking about being in the next round. But that’s football.
“The thing with Celtic is that teams like this always seem to find late goals. It’s almost a habit. They keep pushing and pushing.
“I thought we coped well and showed real resilience. I’m gutted, because I couldn’t be prouder of the players.”