Martin O’Neill continues to work his magic in Celtic colours.
Once again, Celtic didn’t make life easy for themselves, as they needed a second-half goal to beat ten-man Hibernian at Easter Road on Sunday.
Kelechi Iheanacho netted the winner from the bench, and it isn’t a surprise that Martin O’Neill lauded him after the game on Sky Sports.
“Terrific (Iheanacho’s impact),” said O’Neill. “Absolutely terrific. He has been magnificent, really. Dundee, he comes on and wins us the game there. Big impact in the Scottish Cup semi-final. Carried it on here. Delighted.
“He is a proper centre-forward. You can see that there in the course of his career.”
How about that, Celtic fans? Three massive points
Kelechi Iheanacho yet again!
Martin O’Neill reacts as Celtic beat Hibernian to boost title hopes
Hibs were down to ten men when Jamie McGrath was shown a straight red card for a wild tackle on Alistair Johnston after 20 minutes.
David Gray’s side, who have seen three men sent off in recent matches, have been used to playing with the disadvantage, but after the hour mark, the scores were level.
The nerves were starting to build from Celtic’s perspective because they weren’t exactly hammering the door down, or there was a sense that the goal was coming.
That’s why O’Neill brought on Iheanacho, and within minutes, he was bringing the ball down on his chest from a corner and firing in what proved to be Celtic’s winner.
Hibs had the champions of Scotland on the back foot in the dying minutes of the game, and it’s why O’Neill stated that it was a ‘nervy’ finish from his team.
“I thought we started very, very brightly,” said O’Neill. “Then Hibs had a man sent off. We are in front in the game. There is no such thing as being comfortable.
“But we are as comfortable as you can feel in the game. We concede, from our viewpoint, a really poor goal just before half-time. Back in the melting pot. Then it takes us ages to get the second goal. It was a nervy ending to the game.
“Terrific (Iheanacho’s impact). Absolutely terrific. He has been magnificent, really. Dundee, he comes on and wins us the game there. Big impact in the Scottish Cup semi-final. Carried it on here. Delighted.
“He is a proper centre-forward. You can see that there in the course of his career.”
Receive a digest of our best Celtic content each week direct to your mailbox
