Martin O'Neill still has Celtic stomach for title fight as defiant boss sees route out of tailspin

Celtic manager Martin O'Neill insists he can turn around their poor form despite a 2-0 loss to Falkirk, their sixth defeat in ten matches, though the Hoops remain top of the Scottish Premiership.

Celtic suffered a 2-0 defeat to Falkirk on Sunday, extending their poor run to six losses in their last ten matches across all competitions. Ethan Ross opened the scoring inside three minutes after a Cameron Carter-Vickers mistake, with Scott Tanser adding a second. Former Celtic keeper Scott Bain made several crucial saves to deny the Hoops a way back into the match.

Despite the loss, manager Martin O'Neill remains defiant about Celtic's title prospects. "Remarkably, we're still top of the league," O'Neill said. "We came from a mile behind last year to win the league. We're still in a decent position at this minute." He acknowledged the defensive issues, noting Celtic have conceded poor goals and haven't kept a clean sheet for some time, but insisted this is "the way out of it."

O'Neill also confirmed that wide man Jota was rested on the plastic pitch, while defenders Auston Trusty and Oliver Sorensen were absent due to family bereavements and could miss Thursday's Europa League clash against Besiktas.