Scottish Premiership: Kilmarnock earn draw with Celtic

Kilmarnock twice came from behind to earn a surprise share of the points in a pulsating 2-2 draw with Celtic at Rugby Park.

Kallum Higginbotham rescued Killie in Wednesday night's Scottish Premiership encounter with a spot-kick two minutes from time, with Josh Magennis netting in between goals from Leigh Griffiths and Nir Bitton.

Following successive defeats in their opening two games, Killie found themselves trailing after just three minutes when Kris Commons took a quick free-kick just inside the Celtic half and Griffiths got in behind Mark Connolly to take the pass in his stride and slide the ball wide of the advancing Jamie MacDonald.

Kilmarnock tried to respond quickly and Rory McKenzie found a couple of yards of space just outside the penalty area where he chipped the ball over Craig Gordon and the crossbar.

Celtic came forward again as Stefan Johansen latched onto a loose ball just inside the Killie half after Tom Rogic had been halted, and the midfielder slipped a pass inside to Commons but his low shot was straight at the 'keeper.

James Forrest then showed his pace to stretch the Killie defence and lay the ball back to Rogic, who skipped past a defender in the box and blasted a shot towards the near post where MacDonald blocked with both hands.

Forrest soon drifted in to the centre of the pitch and played a short pass to Griffiths to test the 'keeper from 30 yards, a minute before the winger ran on to a through ball from Emilo Izaguirre and had his toe-poke saved by MacDonald.

The home side were opened up again when Griffiths stepped over a Johansen pass and Commons raced into the box where his angled drive was blocked at the near post by MacDonald's legs, the Norway international then fizzing a shot just over the bar from the edge of the penalty area as Celtic continued to press.

After withstanding so much pressure, Kilmarnock should have levelled on 35 minutes when Magennis strode through the middle of the Celtic defence on to McKenzie's pass - but the big striker lifted the ball wide of the upright with just Gordon to beat.

And two minutes later, Steven Smith curled a free-kick towards the back post and Lee Ashcroft's downward header was kept out by Gordon's foot.

Celtic again came close two minutes before the break when Rogic rose to meet a free-kick which spun against the post off a defender, before MacDonald blocked the rebound from the big Australian who hooked his third attempt over the bar.

Seconds later, Killie were level as Higginbotham and Darryl Westlake combined on the right side of the penalty area and Magennis got in front of Efe Ambrose to clip home the low delivery from six yards.

Five minutes after the interval, Forrest raced away from two defenders and squared across the face of goal but Griffiths hooked his shot wide from eight yards.

But the champions were back in front on 55 minutes as Rogic ran at the heart of the Killie defence before turning to lay the ball back to Bitton and he lashed a shot from 35 yards into MacDonald's top left corner.

Griffiths and Rogic both had efforts saved by MacDonald in the next six minutes, while at the other end Gordon tipped a 30-yard shot from McKenzie over the bar.

The Killie stopper produced another excellent save when he got down to put a glove on an angled Griffiths shot, with Mark O'Hara getting to the loose ball ahead of the lively Rogic.

And Griffiths came close again when his bicycle-kick landed a foot wide of the post after Izaguirre chipped the ball in from the left edge of the box.

Gordon twice came to Celtic's rescue inside a minute when he pushed a Smith free-kick round the post and from the resulting corner, he made an instinctive save to keep out O'Hara's header.

Celtic thought they had a third seven minutes from time when Charlie Mulgrew raced into the box and found Griffiths at the far side, but MacDonald got down to parry his first-time shot and the Celtic substitute was just offside before netting the rebound.

Kilmarnock then rescued a point when Higginbotham chipped his penalty nonchalantly past Gordon after Izaguirre and Westlake collided in the box.