Celtic interim manager Martin O’Neill: “Delighted to have won, great to score an early goal – it settled things after Thursday night. There were some parts of the performance I was absolutely delighted with.
“I’m pleased to win, pleased for Kieran [Tierney] to score a goal. There were moments there were you thought ‘that’s the old player he was at one stage’. Injuries have hit him badly, but he’s fighting back.
“I’m delighted we’ve won, and you do need help when you’re chasing someone, but there’s a long way to go.
“I’ll take a little time in the international break, most of our players will be away, and there will be time of inner reflection. It’s been a whirlwind of a fortnight, I can’t believe it’s really happened.
“I genuinely don’t know [if I’ll be back in two weeks]. If the board make up their mind, it’s absolutely fine by me.”
Kilmarnock manager Stuart Kettlewell: “That’s the real frustration for us – all the goals are avoidable. We’ll always say that as managers standing here, but there’s a clear realisation what needs to be done in those given moments.
“We came into this chunk of games in real confidence, off the back of some good performances, and for one reason or another we now find ourselves lacking confidence and chasing a result. We have to take ownership of that.
“We’re not shying away from it [five losses in a row] and pretending that’s not the case. Our priority is Kilmarnock.
“We’ll have players away playing for their national teams, but for the rest of us it’s about knuckling down. Going away on holiday, getting their feet up and getting a bit of sunshine is definitely not going to be a thing. That’s not going to turn the corner for us.”
