Can Celtic’s ‘signing of season’ somehow salvage silverware?

It was a match that will be remembered for all the wrong reasons. But in purely football terms, might Celtic reflect on it as the moment that propelled them to succeed in this the most ludicrous of seasons?

Martin O’Neill’s side won their Scottish Cup quarter-final against Rangers at Ibrox on penalties against all the odds.

They did not have a single shot on target in 120 minutes of football. They were under intense pressure almost throughout. Yet they won.

Off the back of a gruelling schedule – Stuttgart, Ibrox, Aberdeen and Ibrox again all within 10 days – they emerged unbeaten and buoyed by the outcomes.

Their cause was significantly hampered on Sunday by the injury-enforced absence of captain Callum McGregor and the recently talismanic Kieran Tierney, on top of long-term key figures.

“The players showed phenomenal courage and great determination and a rear-guard action, which is really commendable,” O’Neill enthused as the dust settled.

“Everyone to a man did more than their jobs. They were really terrific,” he added.

Under the pressure they faced, Celtic stood incredibly strong. The defence was outstanding. Goalkeeper Viljami Sinisalo was commanding when required. Their execution during the shootout, exemplary.

Rangers had 24 shots in the contest, six on target. Not that the impressive Sinisalo had to produce save after save, though.

That is what Danny Rohl’s side will reflect on – their inability to hurt their clearly diminished rivals, who looked there for the taking.

It wasn’t pretty but winning titles and trophies requires an ability to battle on when all feels lost and Celtic put up an almighty fight on those terms.

This outcome, and the manner of it, may well lead to Scottish Cup silverware and push them forward in defence of their Premiership title. Celtic will take on St Mirren, who beat them in the League Cup final, in the semi-final and trail league leaders Hearts by five points with nine games to go.

“They refused to lose the game,” O’Neill added. “That’s really significant.

Team spirit comes from somewhere. As does a refusal to be beaten.

In a season of stumbling on and off the pitch, Celtic have endured a quite staggering campaign. A lot of it self-inflicted from a position of strength.

They are now odds on to lift the Scottish Cup, although they were favourites to win the League Cup final before St Mirren ripped that script apart.

That was during the ill-fated Wilfried Nancy era. Had Celtic stuck with O’Neill for that game , many would argue the outcome would have been different.

The factor that seems key in this season of undiluted intrigue for Celtic is the Northern Irishman.

He guided Celtic back level with Hearts in the Premiership before making way for the Frenchman. Now he’s attempting to oversee another fightback on all fronts.

Step-by-step, O’Neill is guiding Celtic to have a fighting chance when it matters.

How? Mastery of motivation? Perhaps. Draining every ounce from what appears an unbalanced squad requiring wholesale surgery? Undoubtedly. Do players go the extra mile for him unlike others? Clearly.

O’Neill is driving Celtic game-to-game to keep punching when on the ropes. Their margin of victory in almost every fixture of late has been slender, often last minute. When defeated they respond quickly, even if unconvincingly at times.

This win over Rangers will badly wound their opponents and allow breathing space with a week to prepare for the next big test, a home match against Motherwell.

Hearts show little sign of relenting right now, though. And Rangers will be desperate to fight on in the title race with nothing else to fight for.

Celtic surely can’t perform like they did at Ibrox, so meekly in terms of attack, and expect to emerge victorious in this Premiership title race.

“It’s incredible, to be honest,” said former Celtic goalkeeper Pat Bonner. “I haven’t witnessed a Celtic team that hasn’t had one shot on target.

“I’m sorry but I’m looking at some players that aren’t good enough to be in that Celtic team. It was so poor, so poor.”

It’s not a point lost on Celtic’s manager.

“There’s things we feel that we’re far from the finished article,” O’Neill conceded. “It should keep confidence high. Does it change things for the league? I’m not sure.”

He didn’t start a clutch of recent recruits, who were presumably brought in to make an impact.