And the 5-0 demolition of St Johnstone in the Scottish Communities League Cup quarter-final ensured that he didn't.

You have to go back five-and-a-half years as well as two managers to find the last time Celtic lost three games on the bounce.

Back in March, 2007, Gordon Strachan lost a Champions League last-16 tie in the San Siro to AC Milan, and followed that up by losing to Rangers then Falkirk in the SPL.

Lennon was determined it was not going to be another treble dose of misery on his watch.

So, after watching his players lose a last-minute goal to deny them a point in the Nou Camp, then show the other side of their character by capitulating in alarming style when faced by Kilmarnock on their own patch at the weekend, the Parkhead boss left none of his players in any doubt how unacceptable he would consider falling to St Johnstone and crashing out of this competition.

It's the one domestic trophy Lennon has so far failed to claim since taking over as manager in March, 2010, two final defeats besmirching a record he is developing with aplomb.

The fact the upper level of three stands remained closed, and those who did turn up failed to fill the lower decks, was an indicator of the importance the supporters place against this trophy.

But Lennon wants his men to approach every game with equal commitment, and to rebuild momentum that has been disrupted recently.

Therefore it wasn't a shock to see that the bulk of the big guns were rolled out to face a Saints side who had already displayed their capacity to blast holes in the Celtic psyche by winning against the SPL champions at McDiarmid Park last month, adding to the shock win they pulled off at Parkhead in August last year.

The three-goal barrage which Celtic hit them with in a 10-minute period in the first half ensured there would be no repeat – and confirmed that Lennon's home truths delivered after Saturday's defeat had sunk in.

With a master-class in goal-making and goal-taking, Kris Commons, who claimed an impressive double last night, was the architect of Saints' demise.

Firstly, he forced Liam Craig to deflect his driven shot in on 29 minutes.

The Scotland international then fired through goalkeeper Alan Mannus for the second, despite appeals he was offside when he collected Gary Hooper's clever pass.

And he returned the favour for the striker who dispatched a first-time shot home in clinical fashion moments later.

There were still seven minutes left to the break, and the tie was over as a contest with Celtic's name arguably already in the hat for the semi-final draw a week tomorrow.

For the men from Perth, Parkhead was not so much the House of Pain as the House of Commons.

Just to make sure, he made it 4-0 after 10 minutes of the second half after Steven Anderson had tugged back the effervescent Tony Watt in the box.

Charlie Mulgrew – who had replaced Hooper at half-time – tried to make a claim for the honour, but Commons was having none of it and rattled the penalty home with assurance.

Mulgrew may have been miffed, but within six minutes he had every reason to smile, turning Gary Miller in the area before firing an unstoppable shot across Mannus into the net.

Poor Saints. By the time a third of the match had gone, they would have been as well tossing their game plan to contain and frustrate into the huge hole which had appeared in front of the car park at Parkhead.

Perhaps that was where Lennon had threatened to dispose of his players if they had repeated the weekend performance.

Whatever brought about this metamorphosis that allowed his side to rediscover the form which blew away St Mirren before their mini-hiatus, it should be kept in a safe place.

There was the odd moment of alarm at the back, mostly the result of misjudgments or misunderstandings, but Fraser Forster never looked in any danger.

CELTIC'S entertainment value was given a boost when Paddy McCourt got a rare outing, replacing Efe Ambrose midway through the second half.

For all the threat Saints were presenting, the Northern Irishman could easily have slotted in at centre-back.

His side back in the groove, Lennon will want more of the same on Sunday when his side go to Tannadice to take on Dundee United to guarantee they head into the Champions League crunch game with Barcelona with the feel-good factor fully restored.

The message that no-one's place is assured, has found its target, and the competition for places is what will keep Lennon's team operating at the output level he demands.

A third of the season has now elapsed, and the bumps along the way have, in the main, been self-inflicted.

With the foundations in place, the second third of the campaign is where the structure of their season can take shape.

On last night's showing, it will be very much onwards and upwards.