Four points is nothing – O’Neill stays calm after Celtic’s statement win
Celtic’s manager Martin O’Neill kept his composure after his side’s biggest victory since his return, a 7‑1 demolition of Hearts that extended the club’s lead at the top of the Scottish Premiership to four points, or five if the current twelve‑goal advantage in goal difference is taken into account. The win came against last season’s runners‑up, who had been seen as genuine challengers for a three‑way title race before they arrived at Celtic Park.
Speaking to BBC Scotland, O’Neill was quick to downplay the result as a “statement” win. “I’m not really sure about that,” he said. “We’re eight or nine games into the season or whatever it is. It was nice to win and win in the manner we did as well. We scored some really great goals. We looked really good going forward and I thought, defensively, the back four did really well for us when we were under pressure. But I think they were helped by the players in front of them as well too, so overall it was very, very pleasing.”
Former Rangers striker Kris Boyd likened the performance to the attacking style of Ange Postecoglou, calling it the closest he has seen to that brand of Celtic football. “That first half was devastating,” Boyd told Sky Sports. Former Hearts defender Ryan McGowan described his side’s display as “really poor” but gave Celtic credit for what he called possibly their best performance of the season. Pat Bonner, a former Celtic goalkeeper, praised the team’s cohesion, highlighting the contributions of youngsters Callum Osmand and Colby Donovan. “Celtic’s organisation was better,” Bonner said on BBC Radio Scotland’s Sportsound. “They worked harder as a unit. Their attitude was better, everybody doing that little bit of hard graft that you have to do and then ability takes over.”
Ex‑Celtic captain Scott Brown summed up the outing in a single word: “Fantastic.” He added that the forward line’s pace was the standout feature, noting the impact of Camilo Duran in midfield. Brown also praised Osmand’s work on the wing, comparing it favorably to the output of Sebastian Tounekti, and said Haissem Hassan, despite some defensive issues, was a joy to watch when pushing forward.
The attacking quartet of Osmand, Benjamin Nygren, Hassan and Duran caused constant problems for Hearts. Osmand recorded a brace, Nygren added two goals to bring his season total to eight, Duran contributed a goal and two assists, and Hassan delivered one of his best displays since joining after the World Cup.
O’Neill cautioned against viewing this lineup as a permanent formula. “No, because we’ve got so many matches coming up in Europe and in the league,” he explained. “We’re going Sunday, Thursday, Sunday, Thursday, Sunday, Thursday. So, we will have to mix it up a little bit. It’s also a squad game for us at this stage. Between now and the beginning of January we are at it constantly.”
The next challenge is a crucial Europa League tie against Celta Vigo on Thursday, with both clubs yet to earn a point in the group stage after two defeats each. O’Neill said adjustments will be made before the match and emphasized the importance of giving other players minutes to build confidence. “Celta Vigo are a team in a big league in Spain, they’re very, very decent, but it’s a game we probably have to win,” he said. “We have to win to give ourselves some momentum and do some catching up because we’ve lost two games, so we really need to win this game. We’ll go all out to try and do it.”