Celtic returned to winning ways with a dominant 2-0 victory at Motherwell, giving under-pressure boss Martin O'Neill a much-needed boost after a difficult international break.
The veteran manager, who has now clocked up 250 wins over three separate stints in charge of Celtic, was not even certain to haul himself back into the firing line just three weeks ago. But the emphatic nature of the performance at Fir Park will have done much to reinvigorate him.
The scoreline did not come close to describing the overwhelming dominance the champions enjoyed throughout the match, with Motherwell keeper Alex Paulsen performing like a man possessed as he repelled one attack after another.
Return to winning ways
There was an urgency, hunger and relentless work ethic about O'Neill's players which will have delighted the man in charge and given him reason to believe a full-scale crisis can be averted.
The marathon international break allowed O'Neill plenty of thinking time. He thought about his own position and decided, quickly, that he is indeed the best man to haul Celtic out of an early season hole. Or, perhaps, someone else decided that for him.
Either way, he was back in the away dugout at Fir Park, having reverted to the 4-3-3 system his players know best after a great deal of ad hoc tinkering and hurried formation changes.
Dominant display
Duran opened the scoring after only eight minutes when the Colombian cut in from the right wing and smacked a shot in off the base of Paulsen's left-hand post. From that moment, the outcome of this contest was never in any meaningful doubt.
Celtic could have racked up many more goals had it not been for the agility and alertness of Paulsen. The £11m man Kasper Hogh continues to operate as if his confidence has been lost somewhere along the way, but the sloppy contribution of the Danish international was the only slight concern.
There was another banner and more verbal shots fired at principal shareholder Dermot Desmond, but the messaging amounted to little more than a sideshow as all eyes were focused on what Celtic's players were delivering on the pitch.
Work still to do
O'Neill is experienced and intelligent enough to know he isn't out of the woods just yet. One win at Motherwell does not make up for the paucity of his side's previous three performances in a double header against Rangers and a Europa League collapse against Ferencvaros.
With Benfica to come in Lisbon on Thursday night, followed quickly by a visit from Hearts in the league, O'Neill will have his work cut out all over again before the week is out.
But yesterday's result and performance was exactly what the doctor ordered and, more importantly, a sign that Celtic's demise may have been greatly exaggerated. Having expressed doubts over his own capacity to lead from the front, he got the answers he was hoping for at the first time of asking. Winning games of football is the one certain way to clear up the confusion and turn down the commotion, and O'Neill has made a habit of doing exactly that over all of these years on the sidelines.
