He said: “I thought first half we were excellent in the football we played. We took our chances when we came and we know that was always going to be important.

"It was a fast start, we got the crowd going and a word for them, they were outstanding from minute one right through until 95.

'We put in a performance that the supporters can be proud of but equally they gave us the energy to go and do it as well, so it was a massive effort from everyone.'

There were a number of Glasgow derby debuts in the side, with Hatate, O’Riley, Giakoumakis, Carter-Vickers and Jota all starting for the first time.

However, much of the pre-match chat was around McGregor himself, who picked up a facial injury against Alloa Athletic 11 days ago, but there was no stopping him from getting out there from the off.

“The last 10 days or so have been tough and I’ve been in a lot of pain,” he said. “But I’ve been trying to rest as much as possible and taking it day-by-day.

'When you’ve got half a chance to play in this game you get the mask on and play, so hopefully I’ll be alright over the weekend.'

“I’m happy for everyone as a club because they deserve this. There were a lot of boys making their debuts in this game and it’s a massive one, there’s no hiding from that.

“But I thought the way the boys delivered, the way we played with intensity, that’s what you need on nights like this.

“You need everyone working hard and running for their team-mate and ultimately you see the quality of the goals and our match-play was first class, and that’s the mentality you need in these games.”

Callum McGregor: I'm so proud of the players and the fans