NEIL Lennon has been mentioned as a possible contender to take over from Brendan Rodgers at Celtic if Arsenal target the former Liverpool manager as a replacement for the outgoing Arsene Wenger in the summer.

But on the evidence of this impressive Hibernian victory the London club could do far worse than make a move for Lennon himself in the close season.

Certainly, there would be no lack of heart and fight, qualities which have very often been lacking in Wenger's notoriously lightweight teams in recent years at the Emirates Stadium, if they did so.

Hibs were, as has so often been true since Lennon took over two seasons ago, fired up and then some for their first post-split fixture and they got their just rewards as a result.

Their opponents, 13 points clear with five games remaining, came to triumph and sew up their seventh consecutive Scottish title. Their rivals’ fans came in their usual large numbers to celebrate in the sun. But they had other ideas.

They controlled the game from kick-off, took the lead in the 25th minute when Jamie Maclaren side-footed a defence-piercing Lewis Stevenson cross beyond Craig Gordon and effectively sewed up the three points when substitute Vykintas Slivka headed in a Florian Kamberi cross with 10 minutes remaining.

Odsonne Edouard, who came on for the out-of-sorts Leigh Griffiths in the second-half, netted with three minutes of regulation time remaining to give Celtic hope they could salvage a draw. But it would have been an injustice if they had taken even a point given how superior their hosts were.

The victory over a team they had already drawn with twice in the league during the 2017/18 campaign increased their chances of finishing second in the top flight for the first time since way back in 1975 significantly.

Lennon, who confessed that he took no pleasure from beating a team he had supported as a boy, played for and managed, feels that both Aberdeen and Rangers will push strongly to finish as runners-up in the remaining games.

Yet, nobody who was in the 19,886 crowd yesterday would bet against them finishing as best of the rest given how they dominated a one-sided contest. The margin of victory could have been greater.

There is probably as much chance of Arsenal approaching Rangers about Graeme Murty as Hibs about Lennon in the coming weeks. But the former Celtic and Bolton manager has shown he is capable of operating at a higher level than is currently the case. He is sure to be targeted in due course.

“I’m very proud of the team,” he said. “I thought we were outstanding. We were playing the best team in the country by a considerable distance, but I thought we deserved to win.

“Our approach to the game was superb. They adhered to what we asked them to do. We matched them all over the pitch. I don’t think we were hanging on at the end.

“We have probably not played with that intensity before, but it was what we asked them to do and we knew they were capable of it and they will get a huge shot in the arm from that but nothing more.

“It is three points and a confidence boost. We didn't want to let Celtic win the title here. We feel they will eventually win it, but we didn't want it to happen today.”

He added: “I don’t get any enjoyment out of it. I am proud of my own team, but there is no enjoyment. You have to be professional and you have your own standards to set and we have raised the bar here over the past 18 months to two years.”

Rodgers, who put on Scott Sinclair for the ineffectual Olivier Ntcham at half-time and Patrick Roberts for James Forrest in the second-half as well as replacing Griffiths with Edouard, graciously admitted his charges hadn't deserved to toast another title triumph yesterday.

“The best team won,” he said. “Hibs over the course of the game were better than us.

“We didn’t defend well enough in large parts of the game in terms of our spacing and pressing, it wasn’t so good. And we weren’t quick enough on the ball, so when you play like that you make it difficult for yourselves.

“But performance-wise we didn’t play so well - and that hasn’t happened very often since I’ve been here. So sometimes you just have to take your medicine and congratulate Hibs, then look to the next game.

“Ideally, every coach and manager would say they’d love to win it while they’re playing. Be-hind the goal today was packed with our supporters and we were hoping to do it, but unfortunately we didn’t.

“We’ve collected enough points to give us an advantage so that if there are any slip ups, we can still be champions this weekend, but if its not the case, we’ll take it into next weekend. The four games are all big games, one because we want to win the league and two, we want to go into the final with some good form.”