Ange Postecoglou has heaped praise on his Celtic players for 'embracing the winning expectation' of the club's supporters following their 3-2 Old Firm derby triumph over rivals Rangers in the Scottish Premiership on Saturday.
Top scorer Kyogo Furuhashi netted a double either side of a stunning James Tavernier free kick, before Jota capitalised on a defensive mishap to add a third for the Hoops in the 73rd minute.
Tavernier headed home his 100th Rangers goal to pull one back for the visitors six minutes later, but Celtic held on to claim a crucial victory and take a significant step towards retaining the title.
Postecoglou's men now sit 12 points clear at the Premiership summit and require just three more league victories to lift their 12th top-flight title in 13 seasons.
Speaking to BBC Sportsound following the thrilling derby encounter at Parkhead, Postecoglou said: "It had a bit of everything. It was very competitive at times. You understand the side of the game. It's only natural that players will be on edge and that showed in our game.
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"We still controlled aspects of it, we were always a threat. They were a threat from set-pieces and caused us problems there.
"I'm as much an onlooker as anyone else on gameday, and I can't help but admire the character of this group of players. They find a way every time to get the job done.
"They've come together and formed a strong unity and bond. There's an unshakeable belief in each other and what we're trying to do.
"We knew the consequences of winning today. Aside from the fact that it's a game that our supporters want to win all the time, there's that significance. The players embrace that expectation. They're a group of winners."
The Celtic boss added: "[The title race is] not done. I get it, we're in a great position. Why waste a game of football? We've still got seven to go. I'm not going to let anyone dismiss any of these games.
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"If you can make one person's life better, you don't understand how enriching and rewarding that is. They've made thousands of lives better for the next few days at least. They need to enjoy that and appreciate that, because they've done something special."
January signing Alistair Johnston, who received the man-of-the-match award, dedicated the victory to the Celtic supporters and believes that their rivals will struggle to catch them at the summit if they continue their impressive winning run.
"I think our supporters know how much it meant to them – that's the most important thing," the Canada international told Sky Sports.
"We don't focus too much on the table, we just focus on the next match, picking up three points playing our football and we know if we take care of our business, no-one can touch us."
Celtic, who have now won each of their last 11 Premiership matches, will look to extend their winning run when they travel to Kilmarnock next Sunday.
Oliver Thomas
