“If we win the two games, and that’s easier said than done, we win it and you would have got long odds about that a number of weeks ago. So, from that viewpoint, we just have to try and win, and that will not be easy.

“We’ve been fighting every single week and we’ve won five games on the trot, but we still haven’t caught up, so that might tell you everything about our position some months ago.

“Hearts are a fine side and they’ve stuck at it all season long, and we’re trying to make inroads, even with two games to go.”

The manager has praised the efforts of his players, who have kept battling away in the race for the title while also securing a place in the Scottish Cup final.

“Some players are in really good form, which is the most important thing,” he said.

“There’s a good connection with the team now and the fans, and that’s been an important issue.

'Celtic Park on Sunday was just reminiscent of my old days, and that’s been great.'

“But we’ve gone away from home and won some big matches as well, too, so I think it’s just a combination of all of those things gives us a chance.

“I think they’ve known, particularly after the game at Dundee United, that there’s no room for mistakes, and that’s hard to keep going every single game because there’ll be a match where you might actually dominate, you might not score in that and the other team breaks away and finds themselves 1-0 up, like, for instance, on Sunday.

“We started off strongly, the game was helter-skelter, Rangers scored and it set us back.

"But we came roaring back into the game, scoring a couple of goals just after half-time, one of them being a fantastic goal, and it gave us that big boost of confidence which is so important at this stage.”

Watch the manager’s full press conference

Squad update
Challenge of Motherwell
Pressure of title race
Form of the team

Watch the manager’s full press conference

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Manager: We just need to keep winning games of football