Ange Postecoglou not getting carried away despite Celtic closing gap on Rangers

Celtic can leapfrog Rangers to the top of the cinch Premiership with a win over their Old Firm rivals on Wednesday night but boss Ange Postecoglou insists only final league placings count.

Liel Abada’s last-gasp strike against Dundee United at Parkhead gave the 10-man Hoops – after stand-in skipper Nir Bitton was sent off in the 81st minute for picking up a second yellow card – a 1-0 win over a well-organised side.

The dramatic victory moved Celtic to within two points of the league leaders, who drew 3-3 with Ross County in Dingwall earlier in the day.

But Postecoglou, when asked about the chance to go top, said: “It won’t mean anything significant because that’s not the end game. You don’t get a trophy for being first in February.

“Our goal and mission is to be there at the end. It’s not that it’s an insignificant moment, it’s just that we have to keep going.

“It’s not like when you are in first place that we will get an advantage over teams and it will be easy for us.

“It’s going to be a battle every game. If we somehow think getting to first place is an achievement or we get comfortable or get some sort of an advantage we fall into the wrong trap.

“We just have to be relentless, our aim is to keep playing our style of football as well as we can and keep getting better and individuals keep getting better.

“The new players are beginning to understand that the expectations are there all the time, they don’t ease, playing a couple of good games doesn’t give you any latitude against any opposition not to perform again.

“The players have embraced that so Wednesday night our intent is to come here and play better than we did today, win the game, but then dust ourselves off and go again.”

Nevertheless, Postecoglou was