NEIL Lennon last night described the treatment Scott Brown received against Rangers as “disgraceful” and defended the Celtic captain’s controversial post-victory celebrations.
Andy Halliday, the Rangers left back, sparked a mass brawl on the pitch at Parkhead when he lunged at Brown following the final whistle in the Ladbrokes Premiership match.
Steven Gerrard questioned why the midfielder had felt the need to stand in front of the Rangers supporters after a game the Ibrox club had lost 2-1.
However, interim Celtic manager Lennon felt that Brown, who had been elbowed in the face by Alfredo Morelos and pushed to the ground by Ryan Kent, had been entitled to react in such a provocative manner.
“Browny got elbowed and then he got punched or pushed in the face,” he said. “It’s disgraceful.
“You can’t put the two in one basket. Our players kept their discipline very well and Rangers should have been down to nine men rather than ten.
“Scott Brown is Scott Brown. He is a veteran of these games and was brilliant again today. He knows how to handle the occasion, how to handle the opposition, he knows how to handle himself. He doesn’t need any advice from me.”
Lennon added: “I didn’t see his celebration, I didn’t see where he went. But he takes a lot of flak and maybe he’s given a little bit back.
“Again, it’s like he’s the bad boy, but he’s not. He’s just giving a little bit back because of the amount of abuse he takes throughout the years. I understand it because I’ve been there quite a few times.”
Lennon, whose team won thanks to a first-half Odsonne Edouard goal and a second-half James Forrest strike, admitted he hadn't seen the trouble following the final whistle.
“I was straight up the tunnel afterwards," he said. "I’ll have to analyse it and digest it all over the next couple of days.
“I don’t know what went on. If there has been a bit of heat after the game, then I’ll deal with it and if we have to discipline some players so be it.
“But during the 95 minutes, my players were exemplary with discipline. Their players weren’t."
READ MORE: Chris Jack: Celtic captain Scott Brown showed a lack of class with Old Firm celebrations
Celtic moved 13 points clear of Rangers in the Premiership table with seven games remaining with the victory and Lennon admitted it had been an important triumph.
“It’s a brilliant win," he said. "It was a cracking Glasgow derby and I’m delighted we have come out on the positive side of it.
“Overall, we deserved it, but when Rangers scored they gained a psychological edge and it got a little anxious around the stadium.
"They really threw things at us but we came through and scored a great goal to win it. I couldn’t be happier for the players and supporters."
Lennon added: “It’s psychologically a massive hurdle. The emotion going into the game for the players would have been huge.
"You can see it at the end, they are dead on their feet again. A lot of players were cramping up and that’s not like them. It’s the emotion, the physicality of the game, the tempo, heat, all those things added up.
"In the end they’ve done it again, whether you think they played well or not.You have to give Rangers credit for making a real game of it.”
Lennon revealed that Kieran Tierney and Dedryck Boyata had suffered calf and hamstring injuries respectively.
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