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Martin O’Neill remarked that Daizen Maeda’s spectacular goal against Rangers brought back memories of the legendary Henrik Larsson, as the Japanese forward helped propel Celtic within a point of Hearts at the league summit.
Initially behind due to Mikey Moore’s early goal, Celtic managed to equalize with a strike from Hyun-jun Yang, entering halftime with the score tied.
With a victory imperative to keep their title aspirations alive, Maeda first converted a cross and then executed a stunning overhead kick to secure a 3-1 victory for his team.
When questioned whether Maeda’s remarkable second goal was comparable to Larsson’s iconic chip in the memorable 6-2 match against Rangers in 2000, O’Neill responded, “Absolutely, it’s quite similar. Henrik would likely beg to differ, but it was indeed a fantastic goal.”
“As soon as he performed it, I was certain it would find the net. The ball had just the right pace to sail through. It was truly extraordinary,” O’Neill added.
Daizen Maeda scores with a stunning overhead kick that capped his outstanding performance
Maeda celebrates the wonder strike that sealed a 3-1 victory and edged Celtic closer to Hearts
Celtic boss Martin O’Neill was delighted with their first league victory over Rangers this season
O’Neill was effusive in his praise of Maeda’s all-round display — by some distance the best of a campaign which started slowly.
‘He was super today,’ added O’Neill. ‘I’m going to take him out tonight. He was terrific, really terrific.
‘I don’t know where he gets the energy from. It was sensational, really sensational. His second goal was out of this world.
‘But his whole performance… he starts off with his closing down and the negative part of the game. It galvanises the side because he’s so good about it. Then his own performance, with the ball and scoring the goals, was magnificent.’
O’Neill felt his players showed exactly the right character after finding themselves a goal behind in a game they had to win.
‘It was a great fightback from the players and lovely to win,’ he added. ‘We played some great stuff, so did Rangers.
‘Coming from behind was great for us. I think the players are delighted with their own performance and the comeback. They could have wilted, but they didn’t do that.’
Despite beating Rangers in the league for the first time this season, Celtic need to raise themselves for another must-win match against a highly impressive Motherwell side in midweek.
‘In the dressing room there are only thoughts about Wednesday,’ O’Neill insisted. ‘I’ve never been confident, never!
‘People talk to me about momentum, but it can shift quickly.
‘It’s obviously special (winning) against Rangers. But, in the scheme of things, it’s just three points and we can look no further than Wednesday.
‘We have to win. We have no grounds for dropping points. We can’t afford to do it.
‘I expect Hearts to win their game, and we have a really difficult match at Motherwell. Wednesday will be really tough, as shown from last night.’
The Old Firm triumph ensured Celtic have won five straight league matches for only the second time this season, with both runs coming under O’Neill.
While taking nothing for granted, the manager feels the players must take huge confidence from dusting themselves down after a dismal loss at Tannadice seven weeks ago.
‘We were poor that particular day,’ he recalled. ‘We had some chances, but we didn’t play well and deserved to lose it.
‘It was probably the first time we really questioned whether we had it or not. Also, it gave us a bit of time for reflection over the international break. But whatever they were thinking about, they’ve come roaring back.
‘Even with all the wins we’ve had, we’re still behind. If we win the matches, it’s true, it’s in our own hands. We have to try and do something about it.
‘I think the run that we’re on gives us confidence to go and compete. And also the fact that we’ve come from behind today as well too.’