CELTIC’S only concern with ten minutes to go of this mismatch was how they had not managed to score more goals.
And then Hibernian substitute Darnell Johnston caught the ankle of Emilio Izaguirre with an awful challenge, he should have been sent off, to give Celtic’s medical staff even m ore work to do. As if they weren’t already busy enough.
Brendan Rodgers could have done without losing another player. Kieran Tierney is back training but whether he can be risked soon is another matter.
It slightly ruined what was an otherwise good night for the champions.
Celtic have yet to lose to anyone domestically at Parkhead under Rodgers and still have a 100 per cent record in the league this season. Hibs’ tactic was to sit deep and hope.
Ryan Christie opened the scoring on 24 minutes, Timo Weah put the excellent Jeremy Toljan behind the Hibs defence with a perfect pass which split two players, the right-back found Christie who in turn found the net.
Celtic weren’t perfect. They over-played at times and a few passes were sloppier than they ought to have been; however, there was a huge gulf between the two teams.
Hibs goalkeeper Ofir Marciano pulled off a simply stunning save to deny Dedryck Boyata before the hour. He had no chance at the second.
Christie passed to Weah, he weighted his ball to Oli Burke whose shot was hugely helped by a deflection off Darren McGregor.
CELTIC HAVE TOO MUCH ENERGY, CONFIDENCE AND AMBITION TO WORRY (TOO MUCH) ABOUT INJURIES
Rodgers could do with more of his players back – Tierney is a big miss – but they have started the year in impressive form.
There is so much more movement in the attacking areas and a spark which has been missing is back.
And James Forrest’s scan showed nothing serious and he will be fit for the weekend.
It might sound strange but a significant part of the positive play is Scott Brain, now Celtic’s first choice goalkeeper. He is far better than Craig Gordon with the ball at his feet, which set the base for a lot of the good Celtic did.
SCOTT BROWN’S LEGS HAVEN’T GONE ANYWHERE
The captain had the smoking jacket on and pipe in mouth as he controlled the centre of the park with class and an intelligence few others possess.
There were first time passes and back-heels. He dispossessed opponents much younger than himself without having to make a proper tackle.
Early in the second-half, Brown spun Sean Mackie and got clear of him, the 14 year age gap meaning nothing to the veteran.
Rodgers would feel far less confident about the run-un of Brown was, as so many of the uneducated suggested, done after one bad day at Ibrox.
Brown coasted this game. A good player finds time and that little bit of thinking space when there seems to be done. He also got about the pitch with no problem at all.
And on nights such as this when a large part of winning is controlling the nerves and ignoring calls to simply get the ball forward, the skipper is in the ears of his team-mates to tell them to keep doing what they trained for.
Brown is peerless.
CALLUM MCGREGOR IS ON HIS WAY TO BEING PLAYER OF THE YEAR
This was his 50th game of the season, which is both nonsensical and incredible, not that you would know.
It’s not that this talented footballer is good. It’s more, this season, that he’s always good.
Some of his passing was terrific, a fine ball to Weah deserved a goal, and he’s not one to sit back and enjoy his work.
A moment midway through the first-half summed up the midfielder. As Hibs pressed and Ryan Gauld got the ball to his left foot just inside the Celtic area, McGregor was there to muscle the Hibs man off the ball. Danger over.
McGregor deserves a medal just for the amount of games he’s had to play non-stop since July. I f he can keep going, this is Scottish football best performer of this campaign.
JEREMY TOLJAN IS A PROPER PLAYER
His press conference hinted of man who didn’t want to be in Glasgow. Maybe he just really doesn’t like press conferences.
Because the right-back, on loan until May from Borussia Dortmund, looks the part. And I mean he really looks what Celtic needed.
Toljan set up the first with a fine run and cross, he constantly attacked down the right and knows how to defend. Then again, he is a Dortmund player.
EDDIE MAY MAKES HISTORY – PROBABLY – BY BECOMING THE FIRST MANAGER TO POSTPONE A VASECTOMY
Hibs’ stand-in boss was due for the snip but had to call it off so he could take charge for a second game – and he admitted it. Fair play to him.
The head of the club’s youth academy will have at least one more game as interim manager, Hibs won’t appoint a replacement for Neil Lennon until next week, which is the home Scottish Cup tie against Raith Rovers.
Hibs need to get the manager situation sorted out before this season completely peters out.
The importance of Leeann Dempster and Rod Petrie getting this appointment right cannot be overstated.
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