The early stages of the game were dominated by a series of scrappy midfield battles, with no shots attempted by either team inside the opening 20 minutes.
The hosts began to enjoy more possession but continually struggled to pose any attacking threat to Northern Ireland’s well-organised defence.
The first effort of any kind finally materialised after 25 minutes, and it should have given Michael O'Neill’s side the lead, but Shea Charles steered his close-range header well wide of the target when he should have done a lot better.
Georgia’s best opportunity to take the lead before the interval fell to Giorgi Kvernadze when his header following a corner was cleared away by Trai Hume just in front of the goal line.
Ultimately, this was a dour first half with very little action as both teams repeatedly cancelled each other out.
Willy Sagnol’s team showed far more urgency at the start of the second half and had a huge chance to edge in front after 53 minutes, but Georges Mikautadze’s eight-yard strike was superbly kept out by Pierce Charles.
Drama struck shortly after the hour mark when the hosts were retrospectively awarded a penalty following VAR intervention, as Luka Lochoshvili was adjudged to have been brought down by Daniel Ballard.
Georgia captain Khvicha Kvaratskhelia stepped up to take the spot-kick but saw his effort saved by Pierce Charles.
Despite having to soak up a lot of pressure in the second half, the Green and White Army came desperately close to breaking the deadlock with a quarter of an hour remaining, as Shea Charles’ close-range strike forced an excellent stop from Giorgi Mamardashvili to keep the score level.
At the other end, Pierce Charles was called into urgent action again with an impressive save to prevent Otar Kiteishvili’s rapid 20-yard strike from finding the back of the net.
Just as it looked like the game was going to end goalless, a late surge of pressure saw Shea Charles grab a dramatic winner in the ninth minute of stoppage time.
Following this result, Georgia’s four-game unbeaten run has come to an end, and they will look to return to winning ways when they host Ukraine in the UEFA Nations League on Monday.
Meanwhile, Northern Ireland will be hoping to secure back-to-back victories with a win over Hungary on the same night
Flashscore Man of the Match: Pierce Charles (Northern Ireland)