Celtic lost 2-0 to Falkirk in the Scottish Premiership on Sunday, a result that extends their winless run to three games and increases the pressure on manager Martin O'Neill. The champions, who remain top of the table, were second best at Falkirk Stadium as goals from Ethan Ross and Scott Tanser secured the home side's first victory over Celtic since 2007.

Martin O'Neill made three changes to his starting lineup, which included Sam Johnstone, Cameron Carter-Vickers, Kieran Tierney, and Callum McGregor. The defensive issues that have plagued Celtic in recent weeks were evident again inside three minutes. A failure by Carter-Vickers to clear a cross allowed Ethan Ross to fire Falkirk into an early lead. Scott Tanser doubled the advantage seven minutes before halftime, finishing from an Owen Eames assist.

Celtic created chances but failed to convert them, posting an expected goals figure of nearly three without finding the net. Scott Bain in the Falkirk goal made key saves to deny Camilo Duran and substitute James Forrest. Falkirk thought they had a third when Deniss Melniks found the net, but the goal was disallowed for handball after a VAR check.

Falkirk's impressive run

John McGlynn's Falkirk side secured their fourth consecutive Premiership victory, a result that lifts them to fourth in the standings. The win against the league leaders marks a significant resurgence for a team that had not beaten Celtic in 19 years. "This has been picture-perfect from Falkirk," was the assessment from the match report.

For Celtic, the defeat is their second in the league in a row, following a 2-2 draw with Dundee United. They have now won just three of their last ten matches across all competitions. Despite the slump, they hold a four-point lead at the summit, having taken 28 points from 11 games. The team's defensive struggles were highlighted by conceding goals in the 3rd and 38th minute of this match. Their next challenge is a home fixture against Kilmarnock on 8 November, a match they will be expected to win to steady their title defence. Top scorer Camilo Duran, who has seven goals this season, will be key to that effort.

Speaking after the match, Martin O'Neill acknowledged the growing scrutiny. "I suspect there will be plenty of it!" he said when asked about the pressure. The manager must now find a way to address a defence that has conceded eight league goals this season and a midfield that struggled to control the game. The team returns to action at Celtic Park next weekend.

Read the full report at Daily Record Football