It was not perfect, but it did not need to be. Celtic were able to book their place in the final of the Scottish League Cup. That is what matters more than anything else. At the same time, Martin O'Neill will have noticed the shortcomings as well. The Hoops were not able to take their chances to put the game to bed, even with the Rangers down to ten men. It almost ended up costing them, as Danny Rohl's took the match to extra-time.
Will it be down to O'Neill to take care of these shortcomings though? Or will there be a new manager in place soon?
Since his return to the Celtic hot seat, O'Neill has maintained that his stint at the club will be short. He does not have any intention of being the next permanent manager.
That being said, as the results continue to come and the football has improved as well, a large section of the fanbase might be happy to see O'Neill continue in the role. And if his recent comments are anything to go by, the man himself might not be opposed to the idea either.
Martin O'Neill finally admits something he hasn't since Celtic return
As reported by STV News, O'Neill said when asked if he could still be in charge for the Scottish League Cup final against St Mirren on December 14:
"I have had no indication, genuinely no indication whatsoever at this minute. None at all.
“And I would have thought that with Midtjylland now Thursday night and then Kilmarnock on the Sunday, I would have thought there’s probably time for them, with an international break, for the board to think about something."
But when asked whether he would like to be the man in the dugout for that final, O'Neill admitted:
"Well, secretly, you would love to."
Well, it remains to be seen if he gets that chance or not. Nobody can deny though that he has played his part in taking Celtic there. The Hoops have struggled badly against the Rangers in recent times and this was an important result for them in more ways than one. Let's hope that this proves to be the launching pad that they needed to kickstart this campaign once and for all.