Hat-trick hero Giorgos Giakoumakis refused to name Rangers as he talked up Celtic's title credentials.
The Greek striker made the difference against Dundee as Ange Postecoglou 's men left it late to see off the Premiership strugglers at Parkhead.
The dramatic win over Mark McGhee's men extends Celtic' s lead at the top of the table to three points after Rangers ' slip-up against Dundee United.
Giakoumakis was delighted to take advantage of the draw for Gio van Bronckhorst's outfit, but stopped short of acknowledging the title rival by name.
When asked how it felt to score his first hat-trick for the club, he told Celtic TV: "It felt great, to be honest.
"I was looking to score more goals with Celtic, with my club, but the most important thing was that we won.
"We took advantage of our opponents, and that they lost points, and we increased the distance from them.
"We showed a lot of character, and showed that we are a big team with big personalities, and that we can change the game.
"We conceded two goals from set pieces. We need to be focussed, and we were not today, and set-piece is something we have to improve.
"It is what it is, we won and that's all that matters."
