Shay Given 6

Tipped Steven Fletcher’s 10th minute shot over the crossbar and made another save on 64 minutes, all the time mixing the pre-planned kick-outs enough to keep Scotland struggling for possession.

Seamus Coleman 5

It’s not that his final ball was poor, plenty of them were, rather the Irish movement in the Scottish box was impressively shadowed by Russell Martin and Charlie Mulgrew. The arrival of Ikechi Anya stymied his attacking aspirations.

John O’Shea 6

Solid and largely controlled, minding both Naismith and Fletcher by passing them across his defence with ease. Unfortunately, all that will be remembered is the deflection off his back for Shaun Maloney’s equaliser.

Marc Wilson 5

Martin O’Neill spat some deserved bile his way after a simple switch of play saw the ball end up in the east lower when Ireland were coasting to half-time. That was his second unforced error. Grand otherwise.

Robbie Brady 5

“Robbie!” cried an exasperated James McClean as Brady’s disastrous last ball ricocheted off the Derry winger and wide. Be it exhaustion or something more worrying, Brady’s head was gone during those last 15 minutes when his deliveries stank out the stadium.

Glenn Whelan 6

Yellow card perhaps stunted his influence as Gordon Strachan’s second half changes left him exposed. Eventually replaced by James McClean but not before enforcing his will on Scott Brown while shielding O’Shea and Wilson from any direct raids.

James McCarthy 6

Good without being dominant. That high elbow, if interpreted as such, should have been a red card. He got away with a booking. Also scythed down Brown which was welcomed by the home crowd.

Jeff Hendrick 7

Celtic Park exorcised here with some really good pressure in possession up the inside right where his weighted passes to send Coleman to the byline should have been better rewarded.

Jon Walters 7

Played all 90 minutes despite picking up an injury. So reliable when offered the dirtiest of long balls down his gullet. Blame must be apportioned elsewhere.

Wes Hoolahan 7

Excellent in patches. Two breakaways came to nothing as he sought to bring others into play when some selfishness could have led to a wonder goal. He was replaced by Robbie Keane on 72 minutes but who was going to find Keane but him?

Daryl Murphy 6

Goalless striker partially justified his selection when getting a head to Brady’s 38th minute corner that led to Walters making it 1-nil. Another chance, from another Brady corner, slid past on 44 minutes and he shot straight at David Marshall early in the second half.

Substitutes 6

James McClean’s arrival brought the urgency the Irish attack desperately needed but Robbie Keane and Shane Long were ineffective.

Manager 6

A clear, effective gameplan and he made radical changes when chasing a second goal. Maybe Wes Hoolahan, at 33, was jaded or still struggling injury but his removal on 74 minutes felt misguided.