Celtic manager Neil Lennon skipped media duties after the win over Aberdeen, with assistant John Kennedy joking the gaffer simply needs a break.
The Irishman has come under fire from elements of the support this season as Rangers established a commanding lead at the top of the table.
The Celtic boss has always fronted up though, even when he feels criticism is unfair, and watched his team win their fifth game in a row on Wednesday night.
That cut the Premiership gap to 15 as David Turnbull's stunning strike was enough for a 1-0 win over the struggling Dons.
Lennon opted to leave post-match duties to his assistant, who insists the Celtic boss just needed a break after consistently fronting up this season.
Asked about Lennon's absence Kennedy told BBC Sportsound: "I think he just wanted the night off from you boys and girls!"
Kennedy, a former centre-back, was also full of praise for a backline which has been leaky at times this season.
He said: "We can't shy away from that, in terms of our defensive game we've probably leaked too many goals, especially at set plays.
"But you saw second half that the boys were very aggressive in terms of how we defended.
"A couple of times we dropped deeper than we had to and allowed a bit of pressure in our box but you can certainly see them putting their head on things, blocking thing, and most importantly getting bodies around the box where you can recover balls."
