SO that’s what a real test looks and feels like.

This result wasn’t quite up there with the night Kilmarnock beat Celtic on Robbie Keane’s debut at Rugby Park a few years ago now, but this was still a bit of a slap down given to the champions.

Pride comes before a fall and all that.

Let’s be frank. Ronny Deila’s men should have won out the park. The number of chances they created and did not take was ridiculous, and Kilmarnock goalkeeper Jamie MacDonald enjoyed what was probably the best night of his entire career as he helped his side to a 2-2 draw.

The fact Celtic did not win was partly because they were less than lethal in front of goal and Kilmarnock, to their eternal credit, showed bottle to twice came from behind to win their first point of the season from a game which was unusual and highly entertaining from start to finish.

A few people would have enjoyed the idea of John Collins being forced to eat his words. What he says still stands, as it happens, but to give out the impression, whether he meant to or not, that no team could ever give his own a game was shown to be daft if nothing else.

Celtic did not play badly. In fact, some of the football was great. But too often they didn’t make MacDonald in the Kilmarnock goal work. On other occasions the man between the sticks performed heroics.

However, this was as timely a reminder as you can get that even in this supposed one-horse race, they will not always get things their own way.

Plus on this evidence, the Ladbrokes Premiership is in pretty good shape.

If Killie keep playing as they did once they got going, Gary Locke might have something to work with.

This magnificent game hadn’t been going long before Celtic were ahead. One minute and 50 seconds had gone when Lee Ashcroft fouled Kris Commons on the by-line.

The Celtic winger took a quick free-kick, the Killie defence didn’t read it, Leigh Griffiths did and got the wrong side of Mark Connolly before placing the ball into the net.

Five minutes later and Stefan Johansen, who captained the side, picked up a loose ball in midfield, strode forward and then slipped a pass to Commons whose well shot was saved by MacDonald. It was the first of many.

Soon afterwards, James Forest outpaced Killie right-back Darryl Westlake before cutting back, finding Tom Rogic with a pass and the Australian’s shot was well beaten away by MacDonald. Then Griffiths had a pop from 25 yards and the keeper dived high to his right to make a save.

It was almost two when on the quarter hour, Celtic passed the ball around and about the Killie box, the move ending with Johansen pushing the ball to Commons and his right foot shot was kept out by the increasingly busy MacDonald and his near post.

Next up was Johansen on 22 minutes when a corner was cleared to him and his half-volley fizzed over the bar. It wasn’t all positive for Deila. Collins didn’t last the half hour as it became apparent he was struggling. Gary Mackay-Steven replaced him.

And then on 35 minutes, Killie missed a sitter at a stage you felt they weren’t going to get many chances. Rory McKenzie’s pass was perfect for Josh Magennis who got the wrong side of a strolling Virgil Van Dijk and when right clean through he put his shot into the Celtic fans instead of the Celtic net.

Kilmarnock ended the half strongly and again should have scored on 38 minutes. Kallum Higginbotham’s excellent executed free-kick, a cross from near the right touchline, was one any defence hates and Lee Ashcroft got his head on the ball but put it straight at Gordon.

And then with a few minutes until the break, we had two incredible moments at either side of the park.

A Johansen free-kick was met by Van Dijk who nodded the ball to Rogic and he in turn saw a header hit the post, come back out, the Celtic man got there first and yet from three yards MacDonald somehow made a save. The fact the Aussie then put the ball over was just reward for the keeper.

And then Kilmarnock equalised with a minute of the half left. Not quite against the run of play but it was nonetheless unexpected.

It was all so simple. Darryl Westlake crossed from the right into the Celtic area and with Ambrose sleeping, Magennis calmly sent his shot into the corner of the net.

Bitton decided enough was enough on 55 minutes. With the ball at his feet and a good 25 yards from goal he sent an unstoppable shot – it had to be to beat MacDonald – into the top corner. It was as good a strike as you will see in a long time.

Easy then to imagine Celtic would go in for the kill, but it just didn’t happen for them.

McDonald kept making saves, which kept it at 2-1 and with 12 to go, Gordon made two outstanding stops of his own. Firstly he was at his top corner to keep out a sweetly struck free-kick by Arron Splaine and then within seconds he was getting down low to stop a Mark O’Hara header on the line.

So that was it for Killie. Or so we thought.

With five minutes remaining, Greg Kiltie muscled his way past Emilio Izaguirre on the right hand side of the box, forcing the Honduran into a foul. The penalty was rightly awarded.

And what did Higginbotham do with it? He chipped it down the middle as Gordon dived to his right.

A memorable night in Ayrshire for all manner of reasons.