"They are human beings mate. They are not robots."

It was a priceless throwaway line from Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou in the aftermath of the 2-2 Glasgow Derby draw against Rangers at Ibrox.

The champions had almost succumbed to their second Premiership loss in 52 league matches. A goal two minutes from time from Kyogo Furuhashi made sure the second derby of the season ended honours even in the New Year fixture.

It was a particularly sweet moment for Kyogo, who notched his first-ever goal against Rangers to make it a sweet 16 for the campaign so far.

Daizen Maeda had given Celtic an early lead only to be pegged back by two second-half goals in seven minutes from Ryan Kent and a penalty from James Tavernier.

A late goal from Celtic to rescue a result out of the fire - but these things don't happen by accident. The slick green-and-white machine might have been out of kilter for long parts of this match but it's never over until it's over, right?

"We just rely on our principles and rely on our team shape. We do what the manager asks us to do," captain Callum McGregor had said after Celtic won 2-1 at Ibrox back in April last year. "I think when you have a clear identity like that then even in the most difficult moments you start to gather your thoughts on where the game is and where you want it to be played."

READ MORE: Detailed Celtic player ratings as Kyogo rescues point vs Rangers

On that issue, Postecoglou himself said: "Of course, winning is a huge part of the club’s identity but, for me, it’s not just about winning it’s about how we win and about the kind of team we aspire to be. It’s about having a strong faith in our ability and a belief in our own style of football.

"We have a way of playing the game which is challenging but offers great rewards and while we have a huge responsibility to deliver results, we want to be a team that excites you, puts a smile on your face and gets you out of your seat. I want my players to enjoy it and I want our fans to enjoy it - together. And by uniting behind this shared vision of what we want to be, we can deliver the success we aim for.”

For around half an hour of this one Celtic's identity was written all over the contest and Maeda had given them a well-deserved lead with a superbly taken goal after some slack play from Alfredo Morelos.

Then Celtic goalkeeper Joe Hart cannoned the ball off the on-rushing Morelos and had to save from a Kent effort that hit the outside of the post. From that moment on the momentum swung in the hosts' favour.

"We started the game really well and we just lost control of it mainly self-inflicted," the Parkhead boss said post-match. "We lost our rhythm a little bit and we started giving the ball away uncharacteristically and made mistakes with our passing. Unforced errors crept into our game which allowed them back into it.

Celtic Way:

"They got themselves into the ascendency in the second half for 15-20 minutes they had us pinned back and they got momentum with the crowd behind them. I still thought we defended well and stayed in the game and again the lads showed great character, great spirit and resilience to find a way and find the goal to get us a result."

Then came the Aussie's killer line in his appraisal of it all -  'they are human beings, mate, not robots' - after he was asked to explain why things had not gone strictly to plan on derby day.

"It is a big occasion, it is a big game," he added. "I just thought we tightened up in areas where our football is usually a lot more free-flowing. We didn’t do that.

"A lot of very good teams come here and don't get a result. We started very positively and Greg Taylor going off hurt us a little bit and we lost a bit of rhythm after that. Rangers grew into it and threw everything at us like they had to and it would have been very easy for us to resign ourselves to our fate and that it wasn't going to be our day - but the lads didn't let that happen."

Celtic did not deliver the result they were looking for at Ibrox but this derby day draw was still a bigger point for them than it was for Rangers. Michael Beale's side simply needed to win; the Hoops remain nine points clear at the top of the Premiership with 18 matches to go. It is small wonder the Govan stalemate felt like some sort of victory in the end.

Even when things weren't going well for Celtic - for large spells in the second half - they may well have lost their shape several times but they never once lost their identity.

Even with two minutes left to play every supporter would have wagered a bet that Postecoglou's side could conjure up an equaliser from somewhere.

When the moment duly arrived Kyogo - who had cut a peripheral figure for most of the contest - pounced as all clinical strikers do and he proved that he had ice in his veins when he tied the contest.

"It is not the first time we've done it and it won't be the last," as Postecoglou pointed out in the aftermath. "Losing 2-1 away from home at a place like Ibrox it is going to be hard to get back into it. The lads have shown tremendous character all the way through and again when the moment was required they stepped up."

So it was yet another late, late show from Postecoglou's Celtic players. It proved for once and for all they are in fact human beings, like he said. They hung in there until the end, though, and their perseverance was rewarded with the point-rescuing strike.

When does a draw feel like a win? When it has your identity as a football club stamped all over it, that's when.

Celtic under Postecoglou have shown an unerring ability to perform simple tasks on a repetitive basis like scoring late goals. You could almost say it's a form of robotics.