Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink, the Celtic striker, last night praised Steven Pressley's contribution to the victory over Hearts which restored the Parkhead side's 17-point lead at the top of the Bank of Scotland Premierleague. Pressley, 33, who joined Celtic last month following his departure from Hearts, was the target of abuse from the home fans, but came through it well to turn in a solid defensive display.

Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink, the Celtic striker, last night praised Steven Pressley's contribution to the victory over Hearts which restored the Parkhead side's 17-point lead at the top of the Bank of Scotland Premierleague. Pressley, 33, who joined Celtic last month following his departure from Hearts, was the target of abuse from the home fans, but came through it well to turn in a solid defensive display.

Vennegoor of Hesselink, who scored Celtic's equaliser on the hour mark, has been impressed by the impact Pressley has made since joining the club. "He Pressley did a great job today," said the Dutchman. "I've only known him for two or three weeks but he is a great character, a great leader and has been good for the team. He is a pleasure to work with."

Jiri Jarosik scored the winner for Celtic nine minutes from the end to keep them 17 points clear of Rangers in second, who won 5-0 against Dundee United on Saturday. Vennegoor of Hesselink stressed the significance of yesterday's win. "We are not champions yet, but we are still 17 points clear and that is the most important thing," he said. "Other teams were expecting that we might drop points today, but we did a great job.

"They Hearts played well in the first half, but we had a great second half and created a lot of chances. I hope we can go on and win again next week again to keep the pressure off ourselves. Tynecastle is always hard. This was my first time here and I enjoyed it, but I also have a black eye to show for it."

Neil McCann, the Hearts midfielder who started in central midfield alongside Paul Hartley, highlighted Celtic's winning mentality as the difference between the two sides. "For huge periods of the game we were the better side, but that is how the Old Firm grind out championships," said the former Rangers midfielder.

"Both Celtic and Rangers always have huge belief that if they keep pushing, they might get the breakthrough. Celtic got two chances and took them."

Gordon Strachan also praised Pressley's performance: "Pressley and his pal Darren O'Dea were excellent," said the Celtic manager, who dismissed a reported loan move for Tottenham Hotspur's Robbie Keane as "impossible". "They got battered around a bit but never let it get to them. Their decision-making was excellent.

"We knew that Hearts would die a bit in the second half if we could keep at it. It was about using the ball more effectively and Craig Beattie's pace and directness helped us out when he came on."

For Valdas Ivanauskas, there was only more frustration. This was the third time in a year that his side have held the lead against Celtic only to end up on the losing side.

"You always need to keep your concentration against Celtic," said the Lithuanian. "Not just for 90 minutes but sometimes for 95 minutes."