‘He makes saves other keepers can’t make’

NEIL Lennon last night hailed his goalkeeper Fraser Forster for the incredible saves he pulled off to earn Celtic a famous triumph over Lazio in their Europa League game at Parkhead.

The Scottish champions fought back after falling behind to a Manuel Lazzari goal in the first period with a second-half strike from Ryan Christie and a late

Christopher Jullien header. But Lennon singled out Forster, who denied Marco Parolo in the second half and Danilo Cataldi in injurytime, for praise for his contribution to a win that keeps his team top of Group E with three games remaining.

“I’ve seen it [the Cataldi save] again,” Lennon said. “It’s an unbelievable volley. I know what he is capable of and he’s starting to show it. He makes saves other keepers can’t make.

“The block from Parolo when

Jullien slipped was a brilliant save. Again, me being over-critical, I thought he maybe could have done better with the first goal.

“But then you see the two worldclass saves he makes in the second half. That’s why we brought him in. You need your goalkeeper to perform in big games and he’s certainly adept at doing that.”

Lennon added: “It’s so important to win your home games. That was a Champions League game for me tonight with the quality on show from both sides, the tempo the game was played at.

“Lazio came to really play. For us to get on the positive side of that result is fantastic. Yes, we have seven points but there is still a lot of work to be done in the group to make sure we qualify.”

Asked where the result ranked for him personally as a manager, Lennon said: “It’s certainly up there. That’s the first time I’ve beaten an Italian team at my seventh go. It’s a very proud night .”