Celtic left it late once again on Sunday, coming from two goals down to beat Kilmarnock 3-2 at Rugby Park and snatching back-to-back stoppage-time wins in dramatic fashion.

It was a result that felt almost impossible at half-time. Celtic went into the break two goals behind, with frustration spilling over among the travelling support and a growing sense that control of the title race was slipping away. The performance in the opening 45 minutes was flat and disjointed, leaving Martin O’Neill facing another uphill battle.

The response after the restart was immediate and decisive. Goals from Sebastian Tounekti and Benjamin Nygren dragged Celtic back into the contest, shifting momentum and belief. Then, deep into stoppage time, Julian Araujo stepped up with a 97th-minute strike that completely flipped the mood inside Rugby Park.

From despair to euphoria in the space of minutes, Celtic’s day and potentially their season was rescued. It was another show of the character within the squad, but also another evening that pushed nerves to the limit on the sidelines.

O’Neill admitted afterwards that these late dramas are taking their toll, even if the outcomes remain positive. “No, it’s both worrying me and, well, it’s not great for my health,” he said, quoted by RecordSpirt. “Overall, if that’s the way you have to win the games, you have to win them like that, but I agree, you just can’t keep doing that.

“Do I like it? I look dreadful. Really draining, it is honestly. So you live every moment for it. Some of these lads, my coaching staff, I look around, they’re much, much younger than me and I think they can take the strain, but not for me.”

There is a romanticism to last-gasp winners. They are often labelled the mark of champions, moments that define seasons and fuel belief. But relying on them week after week is not sustainable.

Celtic were excellent in the second half at Rugby Park after a worrying first-half display. If they can bring that intensity and control into games earlier, the need for heart-stopping finales might finally ease. For O’Neill’s sake, and everyone else’s, that would be no bad thing at all.