Martin O’Neill’s reaction after Celtic’s 6-2 extra time demolition of St Mirren has gone viral, with the Hoops boss responding firmly after Chris Sutton’s harsh criticism of Kelechi Iheanacho, where the former striker labelled him “lazy”, “finished” and one of Celtic’s “worst signings”.
Sutton’s comments had sparked debate in the build up and aftermath of the game, especially after Celtic had recently struggled in a 2-0 defeat to Dundee United, where Iheanacho’s performance came under scrutiny on the Record Celtic podcast.
In that discussion, Sutton did not hold back, questioning both effort levels and overall impact in the final third.
“It just shows you what a mess, what a muddle Celtic are in. And that’s not ideal. I’ve seen a lot of stuff online, people saying, well, he’s our best striker, Iheanacho,” Sutton said.
“But I still think he’s miles off it. I think he does some good things in terms of his link up is OK at times. But I think there were times, and having played that position, I do know a little bit about sending a forward play, I think there were times in the first half where he was just downright lazy.
“And he didn’t work hard enough when balls were being played forward to actually get in a position where he could even be challenging for a ball and a knock down.
“I think maybe fatigue had something to do with that. But it’s been the story of Celtic season in the final third.”
Fast forward to Hampden, and Iheanacho delivered the perfect response in the most dramatic fashion possible.
Celtic had looked in control at 2-0, before St Mirren dragged themselves level and forced extra time in a tense Scottish Cup semi final. What followed completely flipped the tie.
Goals from Iheanacho, Luke McCowan and Benjamin Nygren turned a tight contest into a 6-2 statement win, with the Nigerian striker scoring twice in extra time to silence any lingering doubts about his contribution.
After the match, O’Neill made sure to highlight Iheanacho’s importance rather than dwell on outside criticism.
“Kelechi [Iheanacho] has had a great career,” the Celtic boss said on Premier Sports.
“He has had injury problems. But he looks good, and he wants to do really well. I’ve praised him enough in the dressing room – I think he was quite surprised!
Reality of O’Neill’s praises’ “People can say whatever they like from the outside, but football is played on the pitch. Kelechi answered that in the best way possible.”
“Sometimes you question yourself when you don’t get the result. Other than Tannadice, I’ve not had to question the spirit of the side.”
The contrast between Sutton’s assessment and O’Neill’s backing has since taken over social media, especially given the timing of Iheanacho’s two crucial extra time goals.
For Celtic, the message from Hampden was clear. Whatever the outside noise, the striker still has a role to play when it matters most.