The final whistle at Hampden brought relief for Celtic and another trophy for Martin O’Neill, but one of the lasting images from the afternoon came after the game had already been decided, with Neil Lennon involved.

As Celtic players celebrated the domestic double in front of their support, Neil Lennon walked across to his former manager and lifted O’Neill’s arm toward the Celtic end. BBC Sport Scotland later posted the moment.


The image quickly spread across social media after full-time and captured the strange emotional backdrop around the final.

O’Neill had spent the week joking about Lennon being “angry” during sponsor media duties ahead of the match, while Lennon himself arrived at Hampden trying to complete one of the biggest shocks Scottish football has seen in recent years.

Instead, the afternoon gradually became another reminder of how closely their football lives remain connected.

Dunfermline actually caused Celtic real problems early in the game. Liam Scales had to clear off the line after confusion involving Viljami Sinisalo and Auston Trusty, while Lennon’s side looked aggressive without the ball during the opening stages.

Once Daizen Maeda scored though, Celtic settled completely.

13h May 2026; Fir Park, Motherwell, Scotland; Scottish Premiership Football, Motherwell versus Celtic; Daizen Maeda of Celtic celebrates with Kieran Tierney of Celtic after he shoots and scores in the 41st minute to make it 1-1

Arne Engels and Callum McGregor controlled the midfield after that, with Hyun-jun Yang repeatedly driving Celtic up the pitch from the left side. Lennon’s half-time changes briefly changed the momentum before Kelechi Iheanacho eventually killed the game with Celtic’s third goal.

Right in the middle of the celebrations, Lennon still took time to pull O’Neill toward the support and raise his arm in front of the Celtic end.

The moment probably carried extra weight because of their history together. O’Neill signed Lennon from Leicester City more than two decades ago and built one of Celtic’s strongest modern sides around him.

19th April 2026; Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland; Scottish Cup Football, Celtic versus St Mirren; Dunfermline manager Neil Lennon and Celtic interim manager Martin ONeill share a joke during the after match tv interview

Lennon later returned as manager himself and won multiple league titles at the club.

For a few seconds after the final whistle, the pressure of the title race, the cup final and the uncertainty around O’Neill’s own future disappeared completely. It just became two huge figures in modern Celtic history sharing the moment together at Hampden.

1 COMMENT

  1. the confusion before the Scales clearance was between Alistair Johnson & Vil, not Trusty.

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