Lennon proud of champions Celtic

Neil Lennon has praised Celtic’s performance in their comprehensive 3-0 win over arch-rivals Rangers on Sunday.

A Charlie Mulgrew header, a delightful lob from Kris Commons and a powerful finish from Gary Hooper secured the win over their stricken rivals.

And Lennon, who was forced to watch on from the stands after being handed a two-match ban for abusing the referee in the Scottish Cup semi-final defeat against Hearts two weeks ago, said he was delighted with the display.

“I am very proud of the team, I am very proud of the way they played and passed it, and we scored three great goals,” he told Sky Sports.

“We played better than them today and proved worthy to be the champions. It’s just been a good day for the club and the supporters.

“We were brilliant from start to finish. Once we found our feet in the game, we were magnificent.”

Lennon also refuted the suggestion that Celtic’s league success has been tainted by the 10-point deduction suffered by Rangers for their financial problems.

“We have played the best football and scored the most goals, conceded the least goals and have the best disciplinary record in the league so we are worthy champions,” the 40-year-old said.

“The only way it is tainted is if you have won it and you cheated to win it, but we have done nothing wrong.”

And the Hoops’ manager, who has proven a controversial figure in previous Old Firm encounters, was quick to praise both sets of supporters, who contributed to a good atmosphere inside Celtic Park.

“I’ve got to say both sets of supporters today were fantastic. There was a lot of humour going around and that’s what we want to see, we don’t want to see the nastiness,” he said.

“Both sets of supporters were a credit to their clubs today.”

Not that Lennon thinks Rangers should be shown any special treatment, however, as the SPL seeks to resolve the issue of the Ibrox club’s administration.

“If you break the rules then you should expect to be punished,” he said.

“There is an issue of sporting integrity and moral sporting integrity as well.

“It’s not my place to talk about Rangers, and it’s not my place to talk about the outcome of whatever sanctions they are going to get.

“I will leave that to other people and cross that bridge when I come to it.”