Iheanacho ensures Celtic ease past Dunfermline to win Scottish Cup and Double

Celtic’s completion of a domestic double was every bit as straightforward as Dunfermline feared it could be. Whether that achievement is sufficient for Martin O’Neill to be handed an extended stay as the Celtic manager should soon become clear. O’Neill has support, internally and externally, for his cause.

Even at 74, he clearly fancies the job. Dragging Celtic towards trophy success on back-to-back weekends shows he retains capability. The key, unknown and unanswered question is whether O’Neill’s recent body of work will prove sufficient for the Celtic hierarchy to back him in the longer term as opposed to a younger coach such as Robbie Keane. O’Neill has no reason to care that this Scottish Cup final pretty quickly became a non event. It was champions of the country against a second-tier side and looked every bit of that. Dunfermline initially looked paralysed by the occasion, which was all over bar formalities with Celtic two goals to the good at the interval. Neil Lennon enjoyed some superb times under O’Neill when a Celtic player more than two decades ago. This time, Lennon and Dunfermline suffered at the hands of an old master. This most exhausting of Celtic seasons ended with a trophy being paraded in the Hampden sun. The Scottish Cup, which Celtic were beaten to by Aberdeen a year ago, had been reclaimed. O’Neill was serenaded by adoring punters. The buildup to this final had been dominated by the fallout from the conclusion to the Premiership season.

Key points

• Even at 74, he clearly fancies the job.
• Dragging Celtic towards trophy success on back-to-back weekends shows he retains capability.
• The key, unknown and unanswered question is whether O’Neill’s recent body of work will prove sufficient for the Celtic hierarchy to back him in the longer term as opposed to a younger coach such as…
• O’Neill has no reason to care that this Scottish Cup final pretty quickly became a non event.
• It was champions of the country against a second-tier side and looked every bit of that.