Celtic kick-off against Livingston delayed after fans let off flares in the stands

Away flares at Livingston momentarily delayed Celtic’s second-half kick-off.

Celtic arrived at Almondvale Stadium needing a win but couldn’t find the opener in the first 45 minutes.

But the second half could not start on time due to a large amount of smoke which had reached the pitch from outside, which was filled with Celtic supporters.

Green smoke billowed from the away side, with goalkeeper Joe Hart almost disappearing mid-scene.

Due to mist, the second half was unable to start and kick-off was momentarily delayed as the players waited for the smoke to clear.

Although the kick-off was delayed, it did not take long for Celtic to finally take the lead after a sluggish start.

Sean Kelly had the ball caught in a dangerous area and it eventually found its way to Kyogo Furuhashi in the box.

The 29-year-old struck the ball with vehemence which was well saved by Livingston goalkeeper Shamal George.

However, the ball ricocheted off midfielder James Brandon and trickled over the line as George fumed at his defense.

Paulo Bernardo, on loan from Benfica, then doubled the lead shortly after coming on the bench with a long-range shot, streaking into the bottom corner.

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Celtic need a win to keep up with Rangers who started the day a point behind their main rivals.

A win would put them a point ahead of neighbors Glasgow, who beat Hibernian 3-1 on Saturday.

The two teams will then meet next Sunday at Ibrox in what could be a potentially title-deciding clash.