That was too close! Martin O’Neill admits he feared Celtic winner would be ruled out by VAR

Martin O’Neill admitted he feared Celtic’s winner against Aberdeen would be ruled out as his side dug in for the victory which saw them move up to second in the Premiership table.

Ahead in the game early through Kieran Tierney, the champions were pegged back midway through the first half through Kevin Nisbet’s penalty.

Six minutes after coming on as a substitute, though, Benjamin Nygren swept home his 19th goal of the season to ensure Celtic jumped above Rangers.

The Swede was adjudged by VAR Chris Graham to have been played on by a fraction by Dons defender Gavin Molloy, but O’Neill feared the big call might go against his side.

‘Heart in mouth? Absolutely,’ O’Neill said. ‘It took a long time. Then the fourth official is telling me they are looking at two pictures.

‘You’re worried, but we saw it through. It was a tough game and it keeps us going.’

Asked if he felt confident that winning goal was coming, O’Neill added: ‘No. It’s hard to score goals.

‘When we scored the first goal early on, I thought that was the time to push forward and try and get the second.

‘It was a tough old second half. We had to take risks, create chances but at the same time try not to concede a goal.

‘That was possible, but Nygren comes up with the goods. James (Forrest) did very well. He made the penalty for us on Sunday and he can make an impact. I think he looks at me and thinks: “I think you think I’m too old here”.

‘The subs in recent weeks have made big contributions, that’s important for us. Our third game in six days, that was tough. We knew it was going to be tough, but we saw it through anyway.’

O’Neill heaped praise on Nygren, who’s now scored in his first two visits to Aberdeen.

‘He’s doing something that’s the most difficult thing in the game,’ he said.

‘He’s popped up again with the winning goal. It was a big win. It certainly helps and keeps us at least for a little while in the race.

‘(Our) goalkeeper’s (Viljami Sinisalo) has made a great save and has absolutely done fine in the matches that he’s played.

‘This was always going to be difficult. I’ve thought about this game since Sunday. It’s a third game in six days. We’re asking a lot and using the subs. Sometimes it’s great when the subs come on and the impact is good, sometimes it doesn’t.’

Aberdeen interim manager Peter Leven was bemused at why Celtic’s winning goal was allowed to stand.

‘It looks offside but why is there not two lines drawn?’ he asked. ‘There was only one drawn. But listen, right now it’s not going for us, these decisions in the game.

‘Players need to be a bit more streetwise. Lyall (Cameron) needs to ask the question late on when (Reo) Hatate goes in.

‘I think Lyall was too honest and stayed on his feet. (Graham) Shinnie had a hand in the back and could have gone down.

‘We need to start picking up points. I thought second half we started really well and kept pressure on Celtic but we need to sustain that.

‘I thought the players worked really hard today. We started the second half really well, but listen, it’s just not going for us.

‘They worked really hard, but it’s zero points which is frustrating because I thought they put in a good shift tonight. They are a quality team, Celtic, but I’m proud of the players tonight.’

The Dons’ top-six ambitions are now over but they will focus on defending the Scottish Cup when they travel to Dunfermline on Saturday.

‘It’s the next game, a huge game at the weekend,’ he added. ‘We want to retain the title. The boys will rest and recover and will go again in the later part of the week.

‘I think you saw tonight the quality we have. We just need a longer period of time in games to control the game and create more chances.’