NEIL Lennon praised his team for a courageous victory over a superb Lazio side, and admitted he was proud of his players’ efforts as they came from behind to beat the Italian side 2-1.

The victory, courtesy of goals from Ryan Christie and Christopher Jullien, gives Celtic seven points at the halfway point in the group stages of the competition, and maintains their position as Group E leaders.

It was Lazio who took a first-half lead through Manuel Lazzari, but the Hoops battled back into the match after the break, with Christie equalising on 66 minutes and Jullien heading home the winner in the last minute.

Speaking after the game, the Celtic manager said: “It’s a great position to be in. It’s so important to win your home games. That, to me, was a Champions League game tonight, with the quality on show from both sides and the tempo the game was played at.

“Lazio came to really play, so for us to get on the positive side of the result is fantastic. We have seven points now, but there’s still a lot of work in the group to ensure we qualify.

“Lazio were superb, and they had periods in the game they were the better team. We started the game very well and then the psychology of the game changed. Lazio scored and they got the upper hand. We made a change to get more support up to Odsonne and thankfully that worked.

“Then, at times against a quality team, you need your goalkeeper to play well and Fraser pulled off two outstanding saves. The players got more energy and chances and got the winner. It’s been an epic night for the players and the club.”

It was also a magnificent seven for the Irishman, as it was his first victory over Italian opposition in seven attempts as Celtic manager, and his team had to do so after trailing 1-0 at half-time.

“To go to toe to toe with Lazio and come away with the three points is a huge shot in the arm for the team, and it’s a very proud night for everyone associated with the club,” he said.

“I’m more proud of the resilience that they’ve shown, and I’m proud of the win. At times we could’ve handled aspects of the game better but that’s me being pedantic looking for the perfect performance all the time – you’re not going to get that.

“When you put it into context, we’ve just beaten Lazio 2-1 at home and it’s an amazing feeling.”

Neil Lennon: I'm proud of my players for beating a superb Lazio side