BENJAMIN NYGREN’S 10th goal of the William Hill Premiership season was enough for Celtic to edge a difficult encounter at Falkirk.

The Swede headed home an Arne Engels corner two minutes before half-time as Celtic continued their recovery under Martin O’Neill with a 1-0 victory.

The win put the Hoops into second place, ahead of Rangers on goal difference, and kept them six points adrift of Hearts who overcame Beni Baningime’s early red card to pull off a 2-0 win over St Mirren and restore their cushion.

The midfielder was dismissed for a rash, studs-up challenge on Roland Idowu after just 15 minutes with the match still goalless, sucking the life out of a pumped-up Tynecastle crowd and leaving the Jambos up against it.

But – as they had done when digging out a 1-0 win with 10 men away to Dundee on Sunday – the buoyant league leaders found a way to eke out a potentially huge victory courtesy of second-half goals from captain Lawrence Shankland and substitute Tomas Magnusson.

Derek McInnes’ side are now six points clear of both Rangers and Celtic, who they host in their next league match a week on Sunday.

For Celtic, they had to survive a torrid first-half spell and a late scare to emerge from the Falkirk Stadium with their second clean sheet in two games since O’Neill was handed the task of rescuing Celtic’s season after a turbulent month under Wilfried Nancy.

Daizen Maeda looped a header wide early on after getting in behind the Falkirk defence but the home side soon got the upper hand.

They looked compact out of possession, harried Celtic into mistakes, broke forward quickly and put some dangerous balls into the visitors’ box.

Chances followed. Striker Barney Stewart twice got in on goal but his shots lacked the power or accuracy to really trouble Kasper Schmeichel, who was in goal for Falkirk when they last beat Celtic in 2007.

Finn Yeats tried to take the ball down when he looked to have a good headed chance and Filip Lissah forced another save from Schmeichel.

The hosts’ best first-half chance came when Kyrell Wilson broke down the right with pace, cut inside Kieran Tierney, went round the Celtic goalkeeper but lost his balance and shot wide when he looked destined to score.

Another quick counter-attack was wasted when Leon McCann shot well wide with team-mates in the box.

Celtic stemmed the tide late in the first half and there was a warning for Falkirk when Maeda was allowed a free header from Engels’ far-post corner. Former Celtic keeper Scott Bain made a good stop.

The opener came from a near-identical delivery as Nygren nodded home from three yards in a crowded goalmouth.

The only half-time change came in the match officials’ department as injured referee John Beaton was replaced by fourth official Sean Murdoch.

The former Hamilton, Hibernian and Dunfermline goalkeeper has refereed in the SPFL for two years but was taking charge of his first Premiership game.

It was a fairly straightforward mission for the stand-in referee in a tight second period with clear-cut chances at a premium.

The Bairns did create one great opportunity to level when a bouncing ball fell for Ethan Williams eight yards out. Schmeichel spread himself and blocked the substitute’s effort with his foot.

Celtic sub Reo Hatate mis-kicked from a late chance to put the game out of sight.

But Falkirk’s hopes were ultimately extinguished when Schmeichel dealt with Connor Allan’s stoppage-time header before a second corner in quick succession was over-hit.