Well, that was quite the return from Martin O'Neill. He took a Celtic side that looked completely out of ideas under the management of Brendan Rodgers and got a 4-0 win out of them. Johnny Kenny scored a brace while Benjanim Nygren and Sebastian Tounekti found the back of the net once each. And if their finishing had been a bit better, the Hoops could have scored a few more.
It is safe to say that the fans will be delighted with that result. It was just what they needed heading into the Scottish League Cup semi-final against the Rangers this weekend. Somehow, that game has become an afterthought after everything we have seen unfold this week.
Celtic have every reason to be confident going into the Glasgow Derby, after this performance though. And while the initial expectation was that O'Neill's stay is going to be very short, it looks like the manager has left the door open for a longer stint.
As reported by CeltsAreHere, O'Neill said:
"I’m maybe hoping that, for whatever spell I’m here — long or short, and it’s more likely to be short — that maybe he (Johnny Kenny) can pick up something.
“I think, and I’m hoping, that it’s almost like a teacher’s role, and it sounds pathetic of me, but I think somewhere along the way the players can pick things up.
“I did (open the door) — it was a slip of the tongue."
Martin O'Neill opens door to 'long' Celtic stay after win
It would have been natural for O'Neill to be nervous for that game. But after that performance, the manager might be rediscovering some of his personal confidence as well and might start to feel that he can still do a job, even though this was his first match since 2019.
What it does is give Celtic some more time. If O'Neill can steady the ship for a while, perhaps they can wait a bit longer and not rush into making any appointments.
We have already heard about how Ange Postecoglou wants some time away from the game. Maybe the Hoops can afford to wait for him to be ready, if O'Neill can keep on producing results like this.
Now, let's not get carried away by one result. The mood could be very different come Sunday. For the time being though, it is important to enjoy this result and performance, both of which were positive after what feels like an eternity.