Brendan Rodgers: Media 'placed me on death watch'

What were your thoughts on that win?

It was a fantastic result for us. When you look at the squad we had here and half our team missing, we need the players to come here and play like men and they did that. In the first half, we were very good on the ball and got through the pitch very well, that is important when you come here you have to manage the football and take away the intensity from the crowd and we did that. We got into some good positions and maybe just lacked the cleanness and final pass that would have got us in a bit earlier. We got the goal we deserved in the first half and it's a goal that I have said to the players about doing the dirty bit. We scored a similar goal against Ross County, even though it is a really technical group of players you have to be able to compete and win the ball. Matt O'Riley makes a great header and all of a sudden we are in on goal and it is a brilliant finishing against a very good keeper in Jack Butland. So I felt we deserved that. In the second half, you expect pressure at Ibrox, I have never been here and not had pressure in the game and it is about standing up to that. The players were absolutely magnificent and there were a few moments we could have killed the game off as had three breakaways that we should have finished. Jack Butland makes a great save from Liel Abada so it should have been more convincing for us. It was a brilliant win and exactly what the group needed.

What will this do for the confidence levels?

It is big for the new guys in particular. The likes of Callum who I thought was brilliant today, he is used to it but for the new guys coming in, they understand the magnitude of the win and the rivalry and everything else and to come away to a big rival with no supporters, to get the win shows them that feeling what is about and we can take the good feeling into the next game but we need to keep pushing forward."

What was your take on the quality-winning goal?

He (Kyogo) takes it really early at the edge of the box but that's what he does. He went through in the first half and you expect him to score, another moment in the second half when he chopped inside and slipped. He is such a threat playing on the last line, he was very good.

What did you make of the centre-back partnership of Gustaf Lagerbielke and Liam Scales?

Scalesy is a great guy, he knows what this fixture means and I thought he was outstanding. Gus gets an early warning of what you can't so, dwell on it, better to have that now. But he obviously gets nicked and he is still a very young player who will learn, this will be great for him. The two centre-halves in any team, they need to stand up and be strong and both of those guys did that.

Does this feel like a marker point for Celtic to kick on for the rest of the season?

I understand I have been placed on death watch by the media. But whatever the result today I’m an experienced manager now and I’m staying calm. That’s where you are powerless as a coach. For me I understand what we have, I understand what we are missing. So for me, until we get the level of player back that will make a difference in some of our games we have to keep working and developing and improving and I have absolutely no doubt that we will do that as the season grows. Listen, it’s three wins and a draw and some of the games have been good, but we are still piecing together a team which will look a lot more like it by the end of the season.

How did you rate Callum McGregor's performance?

Tony, I said to him at half-time, that’s the guy I used to come here with when we won. That’s Callum McGregor, a big personality who takes the ball and passes the ball and makes tackles and intercepts and blocks and gets the rhythm in our game. He was absolutely brilliant today. I am delighted for him.

Is that as satisfying as any of the big wins the first time around?

Yes, especially with no supporters. It’s not the same game. It's not the same game and it’s such a shame. Look, it’s brilliant for us. Our resilience and everything we had to show as Celtic players was there today. As a group, we had to withstand a lot, but it’s not the same game. When there is not a single supporter there for you then you know you have to be a man. And for this group of players to come do that and get the victory was absolutely brilliant. There is no doubt they will grow from it but I want to see the game back to what it was when I was first here.

READ MORE: Celtic instant analysis as Kyogo and O'Riley run the show

Have you spoken to folk at the club about the away supporters returning?

Listen, I hope between the two clubs we can do that at some point. It’s obviously going to be a challenge this year, so it’s another year. But it’s not the same game. If you asked Rangers supporters I’m pretty sure some of the best wins they have seen from their team were away at the other ground. Hopefully, we will get back to that. Whether it’s 7,000 or 8000 or whatever it’s an iconic game, an amazing game and a big part of it is the support. So hopefully in time, we can get that back. For us today to come here with no supporters and win? Hopefully wherever they are Celtic supporters across the world will come here proud of their team.

Rangers were aggrieved by Cyriel Dessers VAR decision what did you think of it?

Listen there are enough people looking at it now. As I said to Gus at half-time, ‘You’ve got to learn your lesson there.' You have got to get the passing going quicker and maybe need another angle there quicker. In saying that, as he turns around, he gets a nick. If you are Michael and Rangers supporters you are maybe aggrieved but at that point of the game we were dominating. So if we had conceded then I wouldn’t have been so happy. They had a good look at it for long enough, so we accepted the decision.