NEIL Lennon described Celtic’s win against Kilmarnock as a good day for his team and added he was pleased with how his side reacted to going a goal down. Celtic extended their lead at the top of the Scottish Premiership to 12 points with a 3-1 win against Kilmarnock at Paradise.

The visitors took the lead early on when Eamonn Brophy converted a penalty but Celtic responded with aplomb, and goals from Kristoffer Ajer and Odsonne Edouard had the champions 2-1 up the break. Leigh Griffiths made it three in the second half to round off another stellar performance from the Hoops.

“The performance and reaction to going a goal down pleased me most,” said the manager. “Our reaction was excellent and we all know how difficult a team Kilmarnock can be to break down. We did that very well and in the second half we were outstanding. It was a brilliant performances and a really good day for us.

You need patience at times. They block the centre off, they have experienced players who do that very well and they have good strikers who are a handful. We had to be mindful of that when we were attacking and our concentration at the back had to be good. In the second half, our players came out were simply irresistible at times.

“I’m delighted with them. The quality and desire to get the ball back at times was excellent. I think Kilmarnock are a good side and are a difficult nut to crack but we did that very well today. There was a sense of injustice at losing the goal but a real controlled aggression after that.

“This team are capable of creating good chances. The have good belief in themselves and there was a long way to go in the half when they conceded. I was absolutely thrilled to come in at 2-1 up after the last half hour of that first half.”

With the absence of Scott Brown through injury, Callum McGregor was captain fand the 26-year-old was awarded Man of the Match for his performance. Neil Lennon was full of praise for the midfielder who he said was on another level to his opponents.

“I see him taking on the role of captain, but in that position in midfield? Maybe when he’s the other side of 30,” said Neil Lennon. “He has a lot to offer higher up the pitch. You can see how good a player he is and that’s an understatement. At this level he’s a different class. He’d certainly be a contender for player of the year with the way he’s playing. I thought his performance today was immaculate.”

Neil Lennon: I'm delighted with players' response and performance