There was anger and recrimination inside Celtic Park as Ronny Deila's side limped to the finishing line in what has been a forgettable season.

It was a game that in many ways encapsulated the season for Celtic after a lacklustre display which had started in anger, ended with the team booed off the park.

Deila's side can still clinch the title against Hearts at Tynecastle next season - but only if Aberdeen are beaten at Pittodrie by Motherwell.

Leigh Griffiths had punctured a hostile atmosphere inside Celtic Park with an exquisite goal as Celtic moved within one game of clinching a fifth successive title.

The teams emerged from the tunnel to a wall of disquiet with the Green Brigade holding a loft a banner which read: “Lawell and Desmond’s legacy, empty jerseys, empty hearts, empty dreams, empty stands” while another banner read :”from boardroom to dressing room; you’ve embarrassed yourselves. The Celtic jersey has shrunk to fit inferior players.”

With this week’s formal announcement that Ronny Deila will leave the club at the end of the season, the Norwegian escaped much of the wrath of supporters who are clearly still angered at not just last week’s defeat to Rangers in the William Hill Scottish Cup, but the campaign as a whole in which Celtic have stagnated.

The opening 20 minutes of this encounter confirmed the justifiable criticism to some of the players, with an insipid and lacklustre opening spell. It was broken by Griffiths who netted his 38th goal of the season when he collected from Colin Kazim-Richards before lashing home a right-foot piledriver into the top corner.

His celebration, however, was pointed as he booted the ball into the section of the stands which houses the Green Brigade - a clear rebuke about the 'empty jerseys' statement from a player who can justifiably feel that he has played his part this season.

It could have been two shortly afterwards with Tom Rogic connecting awkwardly with a Patrick Roberts cutback but all in all, it was an inevitably flat response from Celtic to last week's jolting disappointment.

Ross County could have gone into the interval on level terms after Liam Boyce beat the offside trap but his header

Shortly after the break Michael Gardyne, a Celtic youth prospect at one stage in his career, blasted an effort over the bar. It was not their only opportunity in a game that Celtic failed to take fully by the scruff of the neck, an accusation that has been levelled at them repeatedly this season.

Griffiths had a couple of attempts at the other end to add to the scoring, but it was Ross County who levelled when Stewart Murdoch levelled just after the hour mark, much to the chagrin of Craig Gordon who felt there was an offside issue in the build-up to the goal.

It was a warning that, like so many other signs this season, Celtic did not pick up. Within minutes the visitors could have gone ahead when substitute David Goodwillie's header went just wide of the target.

The decision to put on Kris Commons with just under ten minutes of regulation time remaining almost took the roof off, as the Hoops supporters greeted the man they felt was last week's answer.

It did not give Celtic the winning goal they so badly craved,