Inverness CT 1 Celtic 0

Deila left to lick wounds after gamble backfires.

Only time will tell the impact Ronny Deila’s first domestic defeat has on Celtic’s season.

Intent on protecting his resources for Tuesday’s crucial Champions League return against Maribor, the Hoops boss made no fewer than 10 changes from the side that started in Slovenia. It was a bold move and one that had sparked memories of a similar scenario this time two years ago when the club travelled north for a match sandwiched between two ties against Helsingborgs.

But where Neil Lennon’s team were able to absorb six changes and still run out 4-2 winners, his successors’ weakened selection found Inverness simply too good.

The fact the only goal was an own goal from Eoghan O’Connell said it all.

Only the most dedicated follower of the Hoops would know who the 19-year-old Irishman was if they bumped into him on the street. To be fair, he was not actually that bad.

Stand-in keeper Lukasz Zaluska was more culpable for pushing a cross from Marley Watkins into the path of his in-rushing defender.

Filip Twardzik, who ironically featured in the 2012 win along with the likes of Paddy McCourt and Mo Bangura, was much worse.

The Czech looked out of his depth and it was no surprise when he was hooked off at half-time along with Teemu Pukki, another offender.

All in all, the Hoops team had the look of a pre-season side. In other words, thrown together from the leftovers once it had been decided which top team stars would be getting the luxury of an afternoon off. It didn’t work.

They failed to score in the League for the first time since December 2012 and lost to Inverness for their first time in more than three years.

And, in going down to defeat, they have now already lost as many League games this season as Lennon’s men did in the whole of the last campaign.

“That wasn’t us out there we never gave it our all,” said defender Efe Ambrose. “In the last 20 minutes, it was as if we gave up hope.”

Sobering stuff and it was left to the manager to try to put the defeat in context. “Defeat was not in my plans but yes, it could be there were too many new players in at the same time,” said Deila.

“We didn’t get the performance that we wanted and needed. It was not effective enough. So we will see on Tuesday whether it was the wrong move.

“Of course, if we get through to the group stages of the Champions League, then this will be a sacrifice worth making. But we have to give credit to Inverness because they were very good.”

It was a key concession. These are heady times indeed in the Highlands. Yesterday’s win gave them 10 points from their first four Scottish Premiership fixtures.

That is enough for them to lead the league and it was clear from the jubilant response of the Caley Jags supporters, they love every minute of it. As they should.

The Highlanders play very tidy football when in possession and, with their emphasis on ball retention, that was a fair chunk of the match. When they are not, they concentrate on getting themselves behind the ball and staying compact to limit opposition raids to the flanks.

Manager John Hughes raised eyebrows when complaining his team had been guilty of scoring far too soon. It had, he laughed, left his team facing a finish akin to the Alamo with Celtic pouring forward again and again.

That did not seem the case from the stands.

The hosts had a little luck, especially when Nir Biton’s shot beat Dean Brill all ends up only to crash back off the crossbar.

You make your own luck in football, though, and Inverness were well worth their moment in the Highland sunshine.