Tomas Cvancara announced himself to the Celtic support with a decisive header on his home debut as the Hoops overcame a stubborn Falkirk side to climb to second in the Scottish Premiership.
The on-loan Borussia Mönchengladbach striker opened his Celtic account with a superb glancing header, before Benjamin Nygren’s whipped finish early in the second half gave the hosts a vital cushion.
The win lifts Celtic above Rangers on goals scored and keeps Martin O’Neill unbeaten in domestic competition since his return, although they remain six points adrift of leaders Hearts.
Having edged a narrow 1-0 win away at Falkirk earlier this season, Celtic faced a similarly testing challenge this time around.
While O’Neill’s side were more ruthless in front of goal, Falkirk once again asked serious questions, registering more shots and carrying a threat throughout with a fearless display.
The visitors came close to striking first when Barney Stewart and Louie Marsh both tested Kasper Schmeichel, but the Celtic goalkeeper stood firm with two excellent saves.
It took time for the hosts to find their rhythm, but once they did, they made their moments count.
Nygren nearly added a third as Celtic grew in confidence, only for Scott Bain to deny him with a fine stop.
Sebastian Tounekti also thought he had scored, but the goal was ruled out after Daizen Maeda was flagged offside earlier in the move when blocking the ball on the line.
Celtic were far from fluent, yet once again found a way to win under O’Neill’s interim leadership.
Falkirk edged the underlying numbers, including expected goals (1.07 to Celtic’s 0.61), and will feel unfortunate to leave Parkhead empty-handed.
Still, eight wins from nine league matches is a formidable return, and Celtic’s defensive resilience continues to stand out.
Another home clean sheet means they are yet to concede at Parkhead since O’Neill took charge - a remarkable turnaround after the defensive frailties seen earlier in the campaign under Wilfried Nancy.
Questions also surrounded Celtic’s need for a reliable striker.
Cvancara may not have arrived with much fanfare, but he is quickly changing perceptions.
Despite limited minutes and a modest return in Germany, the 25-year-old has made an immediate impact in Glasgow, following up an assist against Hearts with a composed, striker’s finish here.
Falkirk, meanwhile, remain one of the Premiership’s feel-good stories.
They matched Celtic for long spells despite the vast gulf in resources, with several players having featured in League One just two seasons ago.
Calvin Miller, once a highly rated Celtic prospect, impressed against his former club, while Barney Stewart - playing university football little more than a year ago - led the line admirably and could easily have scored on another day.
Sitting sixth and competing toe-to-toe with the league’s elite, Falkirk continue to exceed expectations.
With performances like this, John McGlynn’s credentials as a leading contender for manager of the season only grow stronger.
Celtic manager Martin O'Neill: "I thought it was a great win for us, particularly after Thursday night and the effort the players put into that win.
"You could see there were periods in the game where we didn't have the energy, but there's a great camaraderie about the group. They want to go beyond the call of duty and it was a big, big win.
Falkirk manager John McGlynn: "I thought our performance was good. On another day we walk away from here with a point, maybe more if we take the lead.
"We've got a five-point gap [to seventh]. We have to do our best to pick up more points. The squad we've got is a good squad and we're happy to go forward with it."
