There was one big irony at Celtic Park this weekend that went slightly under the radar.

As Rangers celebrated the point they took, an outcome that seemed highly improbable in the build-up, it was easy to forget amidst the chaos of the game that the result formally wiped the Ibrox club out of the title race.

Of course, they have never entirely been in the race for the Championship but, with Aberdeen winning the day before, the result actually allowed the Pittodrie side to open up a bigger lead.

Read more: Lee Congerton: Celtic still look to mine young diamonds

In saying that, it was understandable why they enjoyed the result – and the performance – as they did.

The vast majority of those fans would have gone to Celtic Park fearing the worst, whether they would have admitted it or not. 

But it wasn’t the kind of performance we have seen too often from the Parkhead side this season.

They were slightly taken aback, I think, by the way Rangers started with two up front, and it meant Celtic were not so confident in playing out from the back the way they have done.

It certainly promises to make it interesting ahead of the semi-final next month. 

For all we can appreciate that a game between Celtic and Rangers always brings with it tension, there is no doubt that going into the encounter with such a massive lead dilutes some of the pressure that goes with it.

Celtic were not totally dominant at any stage of the game. When they took the lead I suspected that it might actually be similar to the game at Ibrox, where it was only after getting the equaliser that they took control of the game.

Read more: Lee Congerton: Celtic still look to mine young diamonds

But you would have to say at the weekend that Rangers finished the game strongly.

What it does now is ensure that the build-up to the Scottish Cup semi-final game next month won’t be perceived as a formality and that might just work in Celtic’s favour to an extent.

I was actually sitting directly behind new Rangers manager Pedro Caixinha at Celtic Park on Sunday afternoon, not that there was any chance to introduce myself.

He wouldn’t know me and I know nothing about him either.

I have no idea what impression he took from the game, but it is fair to say that a draw was the right result.

Celtic were denied a penalty at the death, there is no question about that in my opinion, but at the same time I think the game underlined that there was a lot of nonsense spoken in its build-up.

In any case, Rangers came away having avoided an embarrassing scoreline and that would have felt like a victory in some ways for them.
By the time that game comes around at Hampden, Celtic will have tied the ribbons on league title.

Read more: Lee Congerton: Celtic still look to mine young diamonds

We won’t know until tomorrow night whether or not Celtic are in the position of going to Dens Park on Sunday afternoon and getting their hands on the Championship.

However, what you can say is that it is simply a matter of time. If it is not this week then there certainly won’t be too long a wait before it is formally delivered.

Celtic will want to get over the line as quickly as possible but, when they do, it will be interesting to see what comes after that.

Do you play a lot of the kids and some of the fringe players or do you look to keep going for as long as possible with one eye on the William Hill Scottish Cup semi-final and the potential to go and win a Treble?

There has been a relentlessness about Celtic this season as we have seen week after week and I strongly suspect that while there might be one or two kids brought in to experience first-team football, that the nucleus will remain strong.

Read more: Lee Congerton: Celtic still look to mine young diamonds

I do wonder if we will see a little bit of the 19-year-old Ivorian Kouassi Eboue, whom the club signed in the January transfer window. The teenager had malaria when he first arrived, which would have hindered his involvement a little, but we were given a glimpse of him when he came off the bench a few weeks back.

With thoughts inevitably drifting now to the qualifying stages of the UEFA Champions League this summer, if he is a player that is expected to play a part in that then I am sure we will get a chance to see how he shows up with some first-team exposure over the coming weeks.