O'NEILL BRUSHES OFF FLARE-UP AS FEEBLE FACE-OFF

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find out. Feeble, on both sides.

“The only reason I went into it was I didn't want someone to say something or bite back. I didn't want any after-match sendings off.”

The Northern Irishman was the happier manager after fearing Celtic's hopes of clinging on to the championship were sunk by a nightmare opening 45 in Govan.

He said: “If you belong to Hearts, then you'll think it's a great result for them. But, even so, we're not out of it.

“If the game had ended at halftime, with our performance, we'd have thought, 'We're a million miles off it'.

“Now, by the end of the game, the manner that we played, particularly here at Ibrox, 2-0 down, we fight back.

“There's still plenty of heart and desire to try to retain the championship.

“It's just been a tough old struggle this season.