James Forrest hailed the leadership skills of Scott Brown after the Celtic captain got under the skins of Rangers players throughout his side's fractious 2-1 derby victory at Parkhead.
Brown provoked Alfredo Morelos into elbowing him in the face and getting a red card with a minor clip of the heel just after Odsonne Edouard had given Celtic a deserved lead 27 minutes into the Ladbrokes Premiership contest.
The midfielder was later on the receiving end of Ryan Kent's forceful hand to the face in the wake of Forrest's winner in an incident that looks likely to earn the Rangers goalscorer a retrospective ban.
And the 33-year-old continued winding up the Rangers contingent after the game as Andy Halliday received a second yellow card after taking umbrage with Brown's celebrations in front of the visiting fans.
Forrest said: "He's unbelievable for the squad on and off the park. I've never played with anyone who has got so much about him. You see him on the park, he just gets everyone working.
"I don't know what happened with the red card but he is always keeping going, he is always fighting and you see him at the end, he is a real plus to have in the team."
Gers boss Steven Gerrard criticised Brown for celebrating in front of the away fans but Forrest defended his skipper.
"It's an Old Firm game and everyone wants to win, their players are the same," the winger said. "With the shift Browny puts in and what he's done for the team, he is obviously buzzing and it's a big result."
READ MORE: Neil Lennon: The treatment of Scott Brown was disgraceful - he was just giving some back
The post-match tussle between Brown and Halliday resulted in a mass melee with Mikael Lustig's shirt almost being ripped off and Rangers substitute goalkeeper Wes Foderingham and winger Daniel Candeias both appearing to remonstrate with stewards.
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