Brendan Rodgers hailed the “charisma and courage” of his Celtic players after they roared back from a goal down to beat RB Leipzig in the Champions League.
Leipzig, who are second in the German Bundesliga, led at a raucous Celtic Park, but a Nicolas Kuhn double had the hosts in front at the break and Reo Hatate sealed the victory.
Asked if the win – which leaves the Scottish champions within sight of a place in the play-off round – eclipsed all other European results in his time at the club, Rodgers said “yeah, I think so, in level of opponent”.
He added: “It wasn’t just the result, it was the performance. We played the game with great charisma and confidence and showed the courage in our pressing.
“To play to that level, that would definitely be the best one.”
After opening with a thumping success over Slovan Bratislava, a sobering shellacking by Borussia Dortmund, and a doughty draw with Atalanta, this victory leaves Celtic on seven points at the midway point of their campaign.
Next, they host Club Brugge, before travelling to face Dinamo Zagreb, welcoming Young Boys and concluding on the road against Aston Villa.
They currently sit 13th in the 36-team table – level on points with Manchester City in sixth – with a top-eight finish securing an automatic last-16 place, and a spot between ninth and 24th ensuring they would be in the play-off round.
According to analysis by Opta, 16 points would almost certainly secure a top-eight place and 10 would be good enough for a play-off spot.
“We have to stay humble in our work, we can’t get too far ahead of ourselves,” Rodgers said.
“It gives us a real nice confidence. We’ve discovered in the last two games we can be really competitive.
“If you told us after the Dortmund game we’d have four points from the next two games, I don’t think too many people would have said we would have done that.
“It’s a great next step and gives us great encouragement to go and make the play-off stage, but there is still so much to do.”
What did the pundits say?
Former Scotland international James McFadden on Sportsound: “It was outstanding. Celtic had a spell in the first half where, in the past, they might not have been able to stand up to the challenge and pressure.
“They came through that, totally dominated the second half. Celtic stuck with how they want to play. They’ve not changed and kept their belief.”
Former Celtic goalkeeper Joe Hart on TNT Sports: “It was a really, really, really great European performance.
“The quality they showed throughout the game… Callum McGregor ran the show while Nicolas Kuhn sparkled.”
Former Scotland international Pat Nevin on Sportsound: “Give Kuhn his moment, but give every player their moment. They were all eights and nines. And nine-and-a-half from McGregor, he was extraordinary.
“Celtic are a better team than RB Leipzig. It’s not a one-off, or a bit of luck. Celtic, player for player, are better than RB Leipzig. I’m not mildly surprised by this.”
Former Celtic player and manager Neil Lennon on TNT Sports: “This was one of the best home performances from a Celtic side since Martin O’Neill’s days. A joy to watch.”
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What did you make of Celtic’s performance? Is it their best European result under Brendan Rodgers?
