NEIL LENNON has hailed skipper Scott Brown as a “modern-day great” after his last-gasp winner against Hamilton Accies at parkhead last night.
The game was heading for a 1-1 stalemate until the 34-year-old midfielder arrived on the scene to slot the second goal beyond keeper Luke Southwood to give the eight-in-a=row champions a much-needed victory.
And the captain’s strike also edged the Hoops two points clear at the top of the Premiership following Steven Gerrrard’s side’s 2-2 draw with Aberdeen at Pittodrie.
Brown claimed his priceless goal in two minutes of stoppage time – just moments after Marios Ogkmpoe had cancelled out Ryan Christie’s opener.
A beaming Lennon, speaking to BBC Scotland, said: “Big players make the difference in big games and he’s continually a big player for us.
“He’s inspirational. He just keeps churning out magnificent performances.”
Christie scored his 17th goal of the campaign with a crisp finish in the first-half, but Ogkmpoe’s low drive into the corner of Fraser Forster’s net looked like denying the leaders the chance to capitalise on events at Pittodrie.
Lennon blamed his side’s complacency on his players “subconsciously thinking about Sunday” with the Betfred League Cup Final due against the Ibrox side at Hampden with the first silverware of the season up for grabs.
He added: “It’s the psychology of football. A lot of the talk and build-up is about Sunday and, subconsciously, we were a little bit flat.
“I understand that. Mentally we switched off towards the end and we allowed Hamilton to get an equaliser.
“We’ve got through the game all but by the skin of our teeth, but I thought overall we deserved to win the game. I know it’ll be a different animal on Sunday.”
* BROONY THE MATCHWINNER AS CELTIC GO TWO POINTS CLEAR
