With a narrow 2-1 victory over Hibernian this afternoon, Celtic moved level on points with William Hill Premiership leaders Hearts.
The Tynecastle club remain top of the table on goal difference, ahead of their meeting with third-place Rangers tomorrow evening.
Interim Celtic manager Martin O'Neill will watch the match with bated breath.
"I won't be at the game, live, I'm not so sure that it'd be a fantastic welcome there," O'Neill said. "I'll watch the game, I do anyway.
"I'm behind the couch most of the time. I was behind the couch for the last five minutes there!"
Asked about a preferred outcome, O'Neill continued: "I really don't know.
"I suppose the one thing I look at, even if we won the rest of the games, we're not guaranteed to win the league, because if Hearts win all their games, they've got a better goal difference than us, and you're not going to make those goals up.
"Today, with Hibs down to 10 men, had we maybe got a second goal before they scored, then it might become a different issue, but as it turns out, it was very edgy towards the end, so I genuinely don't know. Maybe a draw."
Read more:
Kelechi Iheanacho came up trumps for Celtic at Easter Road. His third match-winning goal in the league this season, the Nigerian striker finished from close range to put his team 2-1 up 120 seconds after coming on as a substitute in the 70th minute.
"He has been a super impact player," O'Neill said of Iheanacho. "I'm sure he was desperate to start the game.
"At this minute, the way that Daizen Maeda has started centre forward for us, and he can shift over to other positions.
"Of course, there is the danger that you don't give him [Iheanacho] enough time to get on the pitch, because you could spend ten minutes, and him not getting into the game, so that's something that we're trying our best, and so far, it's worked out for us."
Iheanacho – who signed for Celtic as a free agent beyond last summer's transfer deadline – is out of contract at the season's end.
The club have the option to extend his deal by a further year. With a catalogue of critical interventions, the case for Celtic to tie Iheanacho down for the next term appears simple.
If he puts pen to paper, O'Neill reckons the centre-forward must work on his fitness.
"If the club were to keep him, then it's really to do with a proper pre-season for him, a real proper pre-season," he said.
"I think he arrived at the last moment here, so he would have to do it, and I think that he would benefit greatly from that, where you're getting three or four weeks' work into him before the season started, which I think he needs.
Kelechi Iheanacho scored Celtic's winner at Easter Road. (Image: Andrew Milligan/PA Wire)
"What he has done for us has been terrific, really terrific. Particularly now, you're looking at his overall contribution through injuries and stuff, for a whole season, those are the things that I'm sure the football club would weigh up on as much as anything else.
"Although he keeps telling me he's very, very young, time does catch up with players, although he's only 29."
The Easter Road clash was not short of controversy. Before Joe Newell equalised for Hibs in first half stoppage time, the ball appeared to strike his hand.
"I have the little monitor to the side, which Gavin Strachan sort of controls, so I'm probably listening to what he's saying as much as anything else," O'Neill explained.
"Eventually, I think Gavin thought it was pretty contentious, the equalising goal.
"Naturally, I'm pretty biased now... Of course, I agree with him, but it is what it is. Whatever VAR is going to come up with, it's going to happen.
"The truth is, I probably would have a different opinion and a different answer to you had we lost the game."
Does O'Neill, who before returning to management with Celtic earlier this season had never encountered VAR, have concerns about its usage and the manner in which it impacts matches?
"Absolutely," he said. "I thought, way back when it was introduced for the World Cup in 2018, I thought it was a really good thing.
"Even now, seven years on, I genuinely don't know whether it's a good thing or a bad thing.
"What I think it has done is stop referees from refereeing properly in the game. But I think that was going to be a natural thing eventually in the course of time."
Share