PRESSURE POINTS: Nygren urges Celtic team-mates to keep the heat on Hearts as title race reaches epic climax

Benjamin Nygren has warned his Celtic team-mates that they must keep the pressure on Hearts at the top of the league.

Wednesday’s narrow victory at Aberdeen allowed Martin O’Neill’s side to move above Rangers into second place in the Premiership table, five points behind the leaders with just nine games remaining.

The win, which came courtesy of the Swede’s 19th goal of the season, was another step in the right direction for the champions on the back of rescuing a point at Ibrox on Sunday with a stirring second half comeback from two goals down.

And while Nygren believes the last game-and-a-half showed the team has what it takes, he feels the margin for error remains slight.

Asked if he felt confident Celtic could yet climb above the Tynecastle side and retain their title, he said: ‘Yes, of course. The time has to be now.

‘You all know that in the last five games of the season a lot can happen and there are no easy games, so there can be big swings. That’s how it is.

‘I think we’ve shown it so many times this season that no matter what, we don’t give up. 

‘We stay together as a group and keep fighting all the time, no matter what the score is in the game.

‘We showed it again last game, 2-0 down at Ibrox is very difficult. It can be easy to put your head down, but we didn’t. 

‘We went out in the second half and took over the game and in the end made it 2-2.

‘Aberdeen was a difficult away game and we got the win. I think we showed again what the team are made of.

‘I don’t know how many games is left. We for sure need to do good from here. But we’ll play them again (Hearts) so of course it’s in reach.

‘Like I said, the last games will be tough, and they will for sure feel the pressure.’

A £1.7m signing from FC Nordsjaelland last summer, Nygren has represented extraordinary value with the 20-goal mark now in view on his debut season.

But the midfielder believes such an impressive return won’t mean a great deal to him if Celtic don’t retain the title they’ve held for the past four seasons.

‘I’m here to win,’ he added. ‘Of course, it will not mean as much. It’s a team sport, you want to win as a team and that’s how it is.

‘Yes, of course I’m very pleased with that (19). I’m a player who wants to contribute to help my team win and that’s what you do with goals and assists.

Nygren admitted that he feared his late winner could have been ruled out for offside

‘As a player, try to create chances and score goals and create goal-scoring opportunities. I had 16 goals last season.’

Despite the lines drawn by VAR demonstrating that he was behind Gavin Molloy when he scored, the validity of Nygren’s 19th goal of the campaign was widely questioned.

Admitting he was concerned after turning home James Forrest’s cross in the 67th minute, he said: ‘Yes, of course you’re always worried when you see the VAR on the screen, but in the end I was on the right side so that was good.

‘My feeling was I was onside because I tried to see where the ball was and to be on the right side.

‘So, I didn’t think it would be VAR at first, but on the footage it was closer than I thought.’