Mark Fotheringham and Kelechi Iheanacho embraced after Celtic’s win over Dundee.
Fotheringham, having established himself as an unlikely cult hero in his spells on Martin O’Neill’s coaching staff, was understandably jubilant after a hard-fought away win.
It was also a special weekend for Iheanacho, who went months without a start under the interim boss amid struggles with his fitness.
The goal, a crucial moment in the Scottish Premiership title race, led to a brilliant moment between the duo after the final whistle.
Your INSTANT REACTION to that win 😅
Is the title race in our hands?
Mark Fotheringham and Kelechi Iheanacho’s Easter Sunday moment
The footage, via Sky Sports, showed Fotheringham blessing himself with Iheanacho. His face says everything.
It is, of course, Easter Sunday and Iheanacho is outspoken as a devout Christian from the Igbo ethnic group of Nigeria.
READ MORE: Celtic player ratings vs Dundee as Tomas Cvancara’s horror show scrutinised
Another layer to the relevance of the moment is the comments of David Tanner after events after Celtic’s win at Ibrox last month.
Tanner caused controversy by saying that a fan was “blessing himself in front of the Rangers supporters”, indicating that he perceived the gesture as an act of provocation rather than religion.
Whether Fotheringham is aware of this and decided to bless himself as a reference to Tanner is simply not known.
Speaking after the game, O’Neill paid tribute to Iheanacho after a difficult period. The interim boss said: “That would be great for him, really great.
“He’s had a really frustrating time since he’s been here. When I arrived, first of all, he was recovering from a hamstring, which he’d got after, I think, about five minutes in the game.
“And then Wilfried put him into the side and he pulled the hamstring again in the cup final. So he’s been fighting back from that.
I’ve had a chat with him to say to him that he’s been a really fine player in his career.
“And he should be, really, at 29, he should be at the peak of his career, rather than, you know, sometimes maybe just scratching around. So I think that’s the point.”
It was Iheanacho’s first domestic goal from open play since he arrived through the back door after the closure of the summer transfer window.
He has a contract until 2027.
Receive a digest of our best Celtic content each week direct to your mailbox
