Celtic manager Neil Lennon pleased to 'grind out' win
Last updated on .From the section Football
Celtic manager Neil Lennon admitted his side had a "shaky" start in their 2-0 win over Inverness.
However, Lennon was pleased with how his midfield inspired the victory, which came after goals from Joe Ledley and James Forrest.
"At times we were wasteful in possession," Lennon told BBC Scotland.
"We relied on a very good midfield performance but that happens sometimes, they win us games. They can turn a game in an instant."
Gregory Tade and Nick Ross threatened for Inverness before Ledley and Forrest registered before half-time.
Anthony Stokes passed up an excellent chance to give Celtic a more comfortable advantage after the break and Richie Foran forced an excellent save from home keeper Fraser Forster near the end.
With Kelvin Wilson injured and Charlie Mulgrew suspended, Daniel Majstorovic partnered Glenn Loovens at the heart of the Celtic defence.
"It's a great clean sheet and it's three points under difficult circumstances," said Lennon.
"Not the best of performances but sometimes you've just got to grind it out. I'm very, very pleased.
"We were shaky and you expect more from two more experienced players (Majstorovic and Loovens) but in the second half we settled a lot better. As the first half wore on, we got a lot better.
"These are experienced players, they've been around the block. Maybe they're just suffering from a little lack of confidence.
"We had a chat with them at half-time and they looked a lot better second half, particularly Majstorovic.
"I didn't think my front two were great either. If Stokesy puts the one in just after half-time, we would've been on easy street. To be fair, we didn't really create much after that.
"I was pleased with a couple of performances, Ledley again and James Forrest was excellent, Kayal and Ki in midfield. We got better as the game went on, we were in control."
Lennon's thoughts now turn to facing Udinese on Thursday evening's Europa League fixture.
"I'm sure and I'm pretty confident that the performances will get better," he added.
"I thought the fans were brilliant. They were absolutely tremendous and I can't thank them enough. They stuck with the team."
