Martin O'Neill's Celtic look remorseless. The Irishman has given his team something which this club has craved for years - the wit and durability to visit grounds such as Kilmarnock's and come away victorious. Jozef Venglos and John Barnes, O'Neill's predecessors foundered here, but no one in green and white now can talk of the graveyard that is Ayrshire.

If Celtic do win the championship this season it will arrive on such feats as this thorough job. Kilmarnock, currently third, have been no one's fools. Celtic, though, played the unwelcome and uncompromising visitor, eking out chances from which they scored. On top of this, O'Neill is amassing impressive statistics. This was Celtic's 14th unbeaten league match, of which they have won 12.

Celtic should have won this more comfortably had Henrik Larsson their talismanic Swede, not indulged himself ludicrously. Larsson's skills can be thrilling to watch, but in the 66th minute, with his side guarding their lead, he rounded Gordon Marshall before opting to toy with the empty net. Instead of scoring, Larsson became a circus act. A posse of defenders enveloped him before punting the ball clear.

Scotland remains an unwelcoming place to Chris Sutton. Scarcely had the Englishman stepped foot north of the border and a red card was received with a flurry of yellows soon following. Yesterday, it took around 50 seconds to elapse before the referee Willie Young, a man who wears his contempt with pride, summoned Sutton to book him.

The striker may be tempted by now to claim racism in these parts - in truth the Scots cannot really claim that anglophobia doesn't exist. Yet the studs which Sutton planted into Ian Durrant's ankles looked painful enough to warrant his reprimand.

Sutton, though, was instrumental in Celtic's goal after 60 minutes. It was the Englishman's persistence near the touchline and crafted dribble past Gary Hay which preserved momentum. When Didier Agathe's cross was despatched, taking a big deflection on the way, it evaded everyone, including Larsson and Sutton himself, before Alan Thompson arrived to prod past Gordon Marshall.

Kilmarnock are blessed with a goalkeeper of Marshall's eccentric foibles - one moment clutching the ball bravely and cleanly, the next fumbling around with it. The way he blocked efforts from Sutton and Stilian Petrov, both from deadly range, was marvellous. Yet Marshall had also badly flapped at Petrov's earlier effort, nearly allowing Larsson to hare in and steal an earlier lead. Along with Celtic's Jonathan Gould, this match was captivating partly for its entertaining goalkeepers.

Kilmarnock can live with this setback. Bobby Williamson's team had youngsters strewn throughout it, though they failed to threaten Celtic enough to warrant a point.

Kilmarnock: Marshall, MacPherson, Innes, Dindeleux, Hay, Mitchell, Fowler (Canero 57), Durrant, Mahood, Cocard (Dargo 74), McLaren (Wright 81). Subs Not Used: Meldrum, Hessey. Booked: Cocard, Mitchell.

Celtic: Gould, Boyd, Valgaeren, Mjallby, McNamara, Lambert (Agathe 39), Thompson, Petrov (Healy 88), Petta, Larsson, Sutton. Subs Not Used: Douglas, Stubbs, Johnson. Booked: Sutton, Petta. Goals: Thompson 60.

Referee: W Young (Scotland).