A stray arm from Rangers full back Jefte that caught the face of Nicolas Kuhn in the Old Firm derby certainly left its mark, with the Celtic winger reporting for his media duties on Sunday with a cut across the bridge of his nose and bruising beneath both eyes.

The German says though that the pain he suffered from from that clash on the field at Ibrox last week was nothing compared to the hurt that was caused by the end result and the Celtic performance on the day, which stung him and his team into a far more recognisable display as his double helped them cruise past St Mirren at the weekend.

“Yeah, the loss was more painful,” Kuhn said.

“I don't know if it's broken. It's a little bit painful, but we'll be fine.”

You sense when speaking to him that as well as the visible but temporary scars caused by the incident with Jefte, there is some simmering resentment that the Brazilian picked up only a yellow card for Kuhn’s troubles.

When asked if his opponent got off lightly, he replied: “I'm not the VAR, but...

“There was also a kick, but as we said, it was not our best game. The situation, I don't decide, and we have to keep going.

“I didn't realise what happened in the moment, so afterwards I didn't know if it was yellow or anything else.

“That's not the most important thing. The most important thing was that we showed a reaction on Sunday, and now we focus on the next game.

“I’m still a little bit dizzy, but, yeah, it's going to be fine.”

(Image: Robert Perry - PA) More importantly for Kuhn, Celtic appear not only to be back on track, but they have also extended their lead at the top of the table once again to 13 after Rangers dropped yet more points on the road in their 3-3 draw at Hibernian.

And he feels the manner of the win over St Mirren was also important to show the fans that while the Rangers defeat may still linger in the system for a while yet, they were capable of reacting positively to a rare setback, just as they did after the humbling at the hands of Borussia Dortmund earlier in the season.

“One hundred percent, and I think we did that,” he said.

“We had to show a reaction after the last game, and that's what we did. We’re happy that we got the three points.

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“The previous game was not too good [from me], but I’m glad that I keep going where I finished last year.

“It was really important. We’re not used to losing, and against St Mirren we did much better, scored some goals, and were happy with the three points.”

That Dortmund match then, and how they reacted to it, is being used as the template within the Celtic dressing room for dealing with the shock of what happened at Ibrox, even if the players are still rather scratching their heads over how they were so poor collectively on the day.

“It was not enough from everyone, and we had to show a reaction,” Kuhn said.

“We always have to be 100 per cent, and that was a lesson for us against Dortmund, and we were glad that we showed a reaction.

“I think that was just not us [at Ibrox], and [on Sunday] we did much better. Obviously we now want to keep that going in the next games.

“We don't want that to happen again, so we just have to keep working and be 100 percent in every game. It doesn't matter if it's the Rangers or anyone else.

“We just keep going and we just have to win our games. As long as we do that, everything is good.”

And if Kuhn can keep performing to the level he has shown for the most part this season so far, then he is sure to be in the hunt for personal accolades come the end of the campaign along with the collective success he is helping his team towards.

His double against St Mirren at the weekend took his tally of goals to 16 for the season already just as we pass the halfway stage, and he believes that the way he has been made to feel at home at the club has been a crucial aspect of his sudden upturn in fortunes.

(Image: Robert Perry - PA)

“I think it's just the surroundings,” he said.

“I feel really good, I'm happy to be here, and everyone makes it easy for me. I'm just enjoying playing.

“I think that it's also the best team I've played in yet. All the teammates, the staff, make it a lot easier for me, and I'm just happy to be here.

“I'm not so focused on the numbers, we just have to perform well, and that's what I try to do. For me the most important thing is to stay fit, that's what I have always said.

“And in the end, it's about winning trophies. I'm not so focused on the numbers.”