Celtic Battle to Crucial Scottish Premiership Win, O'Neill Hails Spirit

Kelechi Iheanacho climbed off the bench to score his first goal in six months and deliver Celtic a 2-1 win at Dens Park on Sunday, keeping their Scottish Premiership title charge alive with six league games remaining and cutting the gap on leaders Hearts to three points.

The result, before a crowd of 9,007, ended Celtic's wretched run in Dundee, having lost all three previous visits to the City of Discovery this season. Interim manager Martin O'Neill had demanded a response after a chastening 2-0 defeat at Dundee United a fortnight ago, and he got one, though not without a significant scare.

Hyun-Jun Yang gave Celtic the ideal start, combining with Benjamin Nygren to open the scoring in the ninth minute. The champions bossed the opening half but were left to rue Tomas Cvancara, who spurned two clear-cut chances to put the tie beyond doubt. That profligacy almost proved fatal. Just after the interval, referee Steven McLean pointed to the spot after a lengthy VAR review had confirmed Colby Donovan's handball, and Dundee captain Simon Murray stepped up to send goalkeeper Viljami Sinisalo the wrong way.

Yang went close to an immediate response but saw a header tipped over by McCracken, and with Celtic unable to find a way through, O'Neill turned to Iheanacho. The Nigerian, who had endured a season disrupted by hamstring problems, made the decisive contribution in the 82nd minute, out-muscling Ryan Astley to control fellow substitute Marcelo Saracchi's cross before firing home from six yards on the swivel. Astley was dismissed two minutes later for bringing down Yang as the forward chased a long ball.

"Did we reset our attitude? Absolutely, I think we did," O'Neill said after the final whistle. "That was to do with the way we approached the game right from the off. We carved out chances. When the second goal didn't come, maybe it's just the pessimistic side to me, but I felt it might come back to haunt us. They got the penalty, the resurgence of confidence, so it was tough. But we had to try to do something because a draw was no good for us."

O'Neill was equally direct about his conversation with the goalscorer ahead of kick-off. "I had a chat with him. He's a very fine player. At 29 he should be at his peak," he said of Iheanacho, whose last goal had come six months prior.

Hearts had earlier dropped two points in a 2-2 draw at bottom club Livingston, meaning Celtic's victory moved them to within three points of the leaders, with Rangers a further point ahead in second. O'Neill acknowledged the title race remains wide open. "We're still in it, but still have a lot to ponder," he said.

It was Iheanacho's third league goal of the season, only his second from open play, but the timing gave it a weight that statistics alone cannot convey. With six games to play, four of them at Celtic Park, the champions have given themselves a fighting chance of retaining the title.