Celtic’s season could pivot on Rodgers last throw of the dice.

As I said earlier, today felt like a big result for Celtic. It sets things up not only for tomorrow night, which is now a no-lose scenario for us no matter what happens, but also for next weekend, which is going to be massive in this title race.

The game the night before between Motherwell and Hearts could be enormous. That means even a Hearts win tomorrow night does not really harm us, as long as Motherwell show up for business and get something from that match.

But today was about Celtic doing what Celtic had to do.

A couple of weeks ago, I said everything that had happened this season, all the poor performances, all the bad days at the office, all the frustration, could still be rendered irrelevant.

Because these are the games where heroes get made.

These are the games where big players step forward in big moments and deliver the points that take you over the line. Today, two of them did exactly that.

Daizen Maeda came off with what looked like a slight injury, and we have to hope he is fit, because he is producing big moments in big games again. He is putting the ball in the net regularly now.

Yes, he misses chances as well, but I can forgive that because he is getting into the positions. Give him enough of those chances and he will take some of them.

That is what matters now.

But the more I see of Kelechi Iheanacho, the more I wonder if he might be the guy who wins us this thing.

Because he is the most experienced player in our forward line. He has played at the highest level of the game. He has scored big goals in big matches. Even if you don’t believe he has a full 90-minute performance in him, he clearly has moments in him.

And at this stage of the season, moments are everything.

Over the last few games, he has had seven shots, put five of them on target and scored four goals.

That is not noise, nor coincidence or a freakish outcome. That is a striker doing what strikers are supposed to do.

He produces when it matters. He is the kind of player every team wants for the run-in. There is no other forward at Celtic with his level of experience and his strike rate in front of goal.

You saw the goal against Dundee. Pure brilliance. You saw his strike today. The instincts of the penalty-box predator we have been crying out for.

He is probably not 100 per cent fit, but a player capable of that kind of impact does not have to be. He only has to be on the pitch long enough to change a game or win a game.

The big lad is certainly capable of both.

It is great to see a player like that coming to the fore at the right time.

The big Nigerian has a contract until the end of the season, and Celtic have a one-year option. At this point, the only sane and sensible reason not to extend his deal for another year would be if his fitness is in serious doubt, and I wonder what he’s capable of if he’s got a full summer to get up to speed.

I don’t know what kind of wages he is on, but goals like that justify the extension. They could be the difference between success and a £50 million jackpot.

If he can do it this season, and if you can get him properly fit over the summer, then he becomes an invaluable asset for the next campaign. For free. At no cost beyond his salary. What would you pay for a striker who can score big goals like that? Get his fitness sorted and he’s a keeper.

For the record, although he did not get on the pitch today, I would extend Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s deal by the extra year as well.

Because if you are extending deals for players like Luke McCowan, Liam Scales and James Forrest, then the idea that you would not extend deals for Premier League–experienced players with match-winning potential makes no sense.

The argument for keeping McCowan, Scales and Forrest is that you need experience around the place. Fine. But you are not going to find much better experience than Kelechi Iheanacho and Oxlade-Chamberlain.

If you go into next season with a fully fit Oxlade-Chamberlain and a fully fit Iheanacho, you have two first-team-ready players without paying a transfer fee. They are here, right now, and you can lock them in for the next manager and the next campaign.

Martin O’Neill says any manager would look forward to working with Scales and McCowan. I think any manager worth his salt would be far more excited about working with those two. That should not even be up for debate.

Kelechi Iheanacho came into the game today when Celtic needed extra quality to break down Hibs. They camped in their own box. They gave nothing away. Then we brought him on, and he changed the tempo of the match.

It was not just the goal. It was everything he did. His movement off the ball and on it. His ability to bring others into play. He looked exceptional in that spell and stood out as a cut above every other player in and around that Hibs penalty area, theirs and ours.

I don’t know if I would start him next week against the Ibrox club. I don’t know if that is a card you play from the beginning. You might get something from it. You might get the perfect start. But you can also use him when legs tire, when minds fade and when the game needs someone who can turn it in an instant.

I don’t know what I would do. But he has to play a part. He has to get his 30 or 40 minutes in that game. With Daizen Maeda wide left, if he is fit, that could be the combination that puts us over the top.

It was not just the winning goal today. Iheanacho impressed the hell out of me with his work rate, his willingness to move, his ability to hold the ball and his instinct for bringing others into the game. That can make the difference in a close title race.

What we have seen over the past few weeks is clear. Give him the ball inside the box and he will do it. No other player in this team gives me that same level of confidence right now.

That might just make him the hero we have been looking for.

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