Martin O'Neill marked his return to Celtic as interim manager with a commanding 4-0 victory over Falkirk at Parkhead. The 73-year-old, who previously managed the club from 2000 to 2005, took charge alongside former player Shaun Maloney following Brendan Rodgers' sudden resignation on Monday.
Johnny Kenny opened the scoring after half an hour and doubled the lead ten minutes later with a header. Benjamin Nygren and Sebastian Tounekti added further goals in the second half to seal a comprehensive win. The result moves Celtic six points behind Premiership leaders Hearts, who drew 2-2 with St Mirren, and five ahead of Rangers, who beat Hibernian 1-0.
Celtic fans protested against major shareholder Dermot Desmond before the match, partly due to a perceived poor summer transfer window. Despite the unrest, O'Neill's side delivered a performance that lifted spirits ahead of Sunday's Scottish League Cup semi-final against Rangers at Hampden Park.
O'Neill acknowledged the team's recent struggles, saying: 'I know the confidence's been a bit low. That's the most natural thing in the world... There's some of the lads in the dressing room that would have no idea who I was but they're only about 10 years old.' He praised the squad's winners' mentality and expressed delight at the victory.
Elsewhere, Rangers maintained their winning run under new manager Danny Röhl, with Jack Butland's late penalty save securing a 1-0 win at Hibernian. Aberdeen moved up to tenth after Stuart Armstrong's goal gave them a 1-0 victory at Kilmarnock, while Motherwell beat Dundee United 2-0 to boost their confidence ahead of the League Cup semi-finals.
