Neil Lennon hails Celtic's 'best' performance

Chief football writer

Thursday 9 February 2012

Neil Lennon described last night's 4-0 rout of Hearts at Tynecastle as Celtic's finest victory and performance since he became manager 23 months ago.

Fraser Forster moves to scoop Stephen Elliott's effort clear, but had the ball already crossed the line? Picture: SNS

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Michael Grant

Celtic delivered their 16th consecutive domestic win and moved four points clear at the top of the Clydesdale Bank Premier League thanks to goals from Scott Brown, Victor Wanyama, Joe Ledley and Gary Hooper. Hearts were angry that a Stephen Elliott header was not given as a goal when it crossed the line in the second minute, but Celtic immediately swept upfield to score through Brown and they never looked back.

"That was probably the best performance and win I've had during my time as manager," said Lennon. "We were devastating. I thought we were powerful, we were quick on the counter-attack, and the intensity and quality of our play was exceptional. There's a long way to go but that was a big test for them tonight. I feel for Hearts because they lost some big players before the game [David Templeton was injured and Ian Black suspended] but they caught us on a very good night. "I think that performance sends out a message. We wanted to put pressure on everyone chasing us. It was important we kept a good level of performance and consistency. I got that, in fact I think I got more. There's certainly no complacency, not on that evidence. "The intensity of the match, the atmosphere, a good pitch to play on: it all helps. There might be different circumstances to face along the way but the players relished the challenge in front of them. It's very difficult to play at that level and that intensity every week. That is the standard they've set themselves but I'm not expecting them to play as well as that every week." Lennon purred over Brown's performance after he scored his fourth goal in four games. The captain has been identified as a potential recruit for Team GB – as have team-mates James Forrest and Adam Matthews – and Olympic coach Stuart Pearce watched from Tynecastle's Main Stand. "I think that Scott can keep on improving," said Lennon. "I think there is more to come from him. He's a really good footballer – a proper footballer – and he's only 26, so his peak years are still ahead. He's been through the surgery, his rehab was good and now we are seeing the very best of Scott Brown. Long may it continue because he is a powerful influence on the team." Elliot should have had a goal with his early header but neither referee Willie Collum nor assistant Andy Tait could see that it had crossed the line before being cleared by Fraser Forster. Paulo Sergio, the Hearts manager, said Joe Ledley handled the header just before it dropped over the line, and that even if Collum had not seen the "goal" he should have given a penalty and a red card. In fact the ball seemed to strike Ledley's hip. "It was a goal," said Sergio. "Even if you don't see the ball over the line you have to see the handball, and that's a penalty and a red card. I don't want to take any credit away from Celtic. We could just sit here saying fantastic things about Celtic. But I have to remember that we had a strong start and put Celtic under pressure. "It worked and Celtic were very lucky because the referee and officials did not see the goal. Then two or three of my team lost focus, complaining about the goal, and Celtic scored a counter-attack. My goalkeeper didn't make a save. We lost a few goals and we scored one."

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Neil Lennon hails Celtic's 'best' performance

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