Martin O’Neill admitted Celtic’s Premiership title ambitions are now “in the lap of the gods” after a dramatic stoppage-time victory kept the title race alive heading into the final day of the season.
The Hoops looked set to drop crucial points following a frantic encounter at Fir Park, while Hearts appeared to be closing in on the title after a convincing 3-0 win over Falkirk.
But a dramatic injury-time penalty from Kelechi Iheanacho secured a thrilling 3-2 victory and ensured Celtic’s five-in-a-row hopes remain intact ahead of Saturday’s showdown at Celtic Park.
O’Neill confessed the chaotic finale had left emotions running high as his side moved to within one victory of a record-breaking 56th league title.
“They’ll have to calm me down first,” he said post-match via Daily Record. “We’re back in tomorrow morning. The lads who played won’t do much, they’ll just recover and we’ll get ourselves psychologically ready.
“We’ve been through demanding schedules before, playing several games in quick succession and travelling across Europe. Whether we win it or not is in the lap of the gods.”
The dramatic conclusion sparked controversy after Motherwell boss Jens Berthel Askou criticised the late VAR award, branding it one of the worst decisions he had witnessed in football following Sam Nicholson’s handball offence.
However, O’Neill insisted Celtic had their own grievances and felt his side should have been awarded a first-half penalty after Daizen Maeda went down under a challenge from Calum Ward.
Speaking about the decisive injury-time moment, the Hoops boss said: “We got a penalty which looked pretty clear-cut. Was it for the handball? There was an elbow involved as well.
“The monitor the staff were using is tiny, so it’s difficult to make it out properly, but the players believed there was both a handball and an elbow. I also thought we should have had a penalty earlier in the game, but VAR cleared that one.
“We knew we had to win. Hearts don’t, but at least we’ve managed to take it to the final day. A few weeks ago that looked a long way off.”
O’Neill also admitted the result carried personal significance after finally enjoying a dramatic night at Fir Park more than two decades on from the heartbreak of Helicopter Sunday.
“Absolutely, in my own small way it gives some sort of vindication,” he said. “It’s obviously not the same because that was the final day and we lost, but maybe in another life I’ll enjoy coming back to Motherwell again.”
While Iheanacho’s dramatic winner sparked jubilant scenes among the travelling supporters, including a pitch invasion after the final whistle, O’Neill stressed Celtic will still require one final massive performance to overhaul Hearts in the title race.
“It was a monumental effort from both the players and the supporters,” he added. “The fans were phenomenal and kept us going even when it was 2-2.
“It was a huge effort against a very good Hearts side, but we believe we’ve got a chance now. We’re at home, the atmosphere will be fantastic and the players genuinely believe they can do it.”
Conor Spence
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