Neil Lennon praises Celtic players after Dundee heroics

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Neil Lennon has praised his players after their performance in the 1-0 win at Dens Park against Dundee.

It was nowhere near the required level of performance, as Celtic struggled to create chances for long spells. But a last-minute Odsonne Edouard goal sent the Hoops 10 points clear.

As expected, question marks will be asked of the performance. It was the second week in a row in which the Hoops have had a full week to prepare for the game and put in a sub-par display.

But Lennon was in no mood to go criticising the players. Instead, he told Celtic TV post-match that the players deserve credit for their ability to go to the wire.

“We’d all like it to be a bit more comfortable, but you can’t have everything. We were a little bit pedestrian in the final third, but when we stepped it up in the end then we scored a beautiful goal.

“They don’t know when to stop. That’s Kilmarnock, Hearts, and now today (for last-minute winners). It’s not luck and it’s not coincidence. These players just keep going and have great belief in what they’re doing.

“Sometimes I would like us to be a bit more urgent with the ball, but I can’t have everything. Other teams would’ve drawn that and gone away happy – our team doesn’t do that.”

Points over performances….for now

Lennon is spot-on to point to the tendancy for a last-minute goal. It’s significant in the sense that it’s a famous sign of a championship-winning team. Today’s last-minute strike from Edouard truly brought eight-in-a-row closer to being a reality.

For now, it’s only the results that matter, and particularly this weekend. This was the second chance Celtic had to go 10 points clear. Had they not taken it, sections of the support would’ve been on Lennon’s back.

But there’s no denying that performances are a key requirement for Lennon’s job audition. Outside of the 2-0 Scottish Cup win at Easter Road, we’ve yet to really see a decent display.

Today, however, it simply doesn’t matter. All that did was the fact that Celtic got the win and moved 10 points clear. Lennon has every right to continue pointing to the team mentality, as that’s what’s getting him results.

Here’s hoping we can see some form of improved performance against Rangers in two weeks. Lennon could certainly do with it to boost his performance review come the season’s end.