Celtic needed goals from Hyeon-Gyu Oh and Sead Haksabanovic to finally see them cross the line to a ninth successive league win and pick up a 3-1 win over 10-man Hibs.
Still wrestling with memories of their 6-1 thrashing at Celtic Park in October, Lee Johnson’s side faced an uphill task when Elie Youan was shown a red card after just 24 minutes for a second bookable offence. But they rallied to hold a half-time lead thanks to Josh Campbell’s penalty.
Seven minutes into the second period, Celtic had one of their own when Paul Hanlon brought down Cameron Carter-Vickers from a corner and, despite David Marshall’s best efforts, Jota’s penalty twisted under his body.
It still looked as though Hibs would end Celtic’s eight-match league winning streak until the final 10 minutes, when Oh’s header from a corner kicked past Marshall.
As the visitors searched for a late equalizer, substitute Haksabanovic secured victory for the league leaders with a third game into stoppage time to keep them nine points ahead of second-placed Rangers.
How Celtic limped over the line to victory over Hibs
It seemed to be Celtic’s day from the first minute at Celtic Park against a Hibernian side who had already had 10 goals scored this season, but sadly the hosts lacked a definitive finish.
Kyogo Furuhashi should have put them in front when he chested a cross straight at Marshall, before Carl Starfelt shook the bar with a header from a corner. Hibs’ attacks were few and far between, but CJ Egan-Riley volleyed in a fine move from the edge of the Celtic box.
Any hope of more dangerous moments seemed to be dashed when Youan was shown a second yellow card for a contentious foul on Carter-Vickers, who knocked him to the ground before referee Steven McLean ruled that he had hit him with a high boot.
Josh Campbell gave Hibs a surprising halftime lead from the penalty spot
Whether intentional or not, the striker received his marching orders, but that didn’t stop Hibs from hanging on and delivering a surprise strike just before the interval.
Referees on the pitch missed Starfelt’s sheer jersey tugging on Hanlon from a Hibs throw-in and saw little protest from the visitors, but they couldn’t get past the eagle eye of VAR. Following a trip to the pitch monitor, McLean awarded a penalty, which Campbell duly converted.
It was a world away from the terrible performance Hibs had put in on their last trip to Celtic Park, but they were still only able to hold on to their lead nine minutes into the second period, with Hanlon embroiled in yet another penalty controversy. This time, he was the instigator, bringing Carter-Vickers down from a corner and leaving McLean with an evasive decision.
Marshall came within inches of avoiding Jota’s low effort, but he and Hibs put their disappointment behind them to continue to hold Celtic for most of the rest of the second half. Egan-Riley’s exploits in the vein of a half-time effort from Furuhashi denied them the lead, with poor decision-making in the final third threatening to cost the hosts their winning run.
A couple of substitutes would end up succeeding where others had failed. Oh’s resounding header from a corner 10 minutes from time finally gave Celtic the lead and saw them booked for their shirtless celebrations, before Haksabanovic scored a stoppage-time third to assuage any concerns of a comeback. Hibs.
The hosts were far from their best, but the win at least set them up perfectly for their next home game – an Old Firm showdown against second-placed Rangers on 8 April.
Whats Next?
Celtic return to Scottish Premiership action after international break to ross county the 2nd of April, live on Sky Sports. Start 12 noon.
Irish They are at Motherwell’s on April 1st. Start at 3:00 p.m.
