Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers said it was an easy decision to bring Dedryck Boyata back into his starting 11 as his squad can't afford to omit the "top-class" defender.

The Belgian centre-half was reinstated into the Hoops side to face Hamilton after declaring himself unavailable for the Scottish champions' recent forays into Europe.

Boyata's name was greeted with some booing pre-match and a banner proclaiming "Boyata - not fit to wear the jersey" was unveiled by a section of supporters unhappy with his reintroduction.

But the former Man City defender would ultimately brush off the controversy to bag the winner after the ball fell his way from a corner.

Rodgers revealed prolonged talks between the pair had culminated in a "watershed moment" that allowed for Boyata's comeback.

He said: "I am not thinking anything other than Dedryck being here.

"He cruised the game today because he is a top-class player. We are not a squad who can do without that quality.

"But with Jack Hendry and Jozo Simunovic injured, it is a position that we will look at."

Rodgers added: "Obviously I would have preferred a different reaction but I am not going to criticise the supporters.

"I will give credit to Dedryck and how he coped with it and you saw the (positive) reaction from probably three quarters of the ground.

"When you are trying to redeem yourself sometimes it takes a bit of time.

"Naturally supporters, the real passionate supporters, look for that commitment in the player, it is not always about ability.

"The reaction of three quarters of the stadium plus his team-mates, you see we are all together.

"It wouldn't have been easy for him. I think he did all his talking on the pitch. I thought he was top-class, everything he had to do he did it with real quality, and of course he gets the winning goal."

Skipper Scott Brown claimed the whole Celtic team celebrating with Boyata after his goal showed unity.

He said: "We are all together, we are all behind him, he wants to play.

"He was outstanding today, showed his qualities and got his goal.

"It has been a hard week for him but a fantastic end for him. It's in the past and will stay in the past."

Hamilton boss Martin Canning took the positives from a spirited Accies showing against the champions.

He said: "We can take positives from it.

"You know there will be large spells here when you don't have the ball and it is important that you are disciplined and organised.

"I was pleased with the application and effort but disappointed with the result."