“Daizen Maeda broke the deadlock four minutes before half-time, punishing Hibernian's depleted defence and giving Celtic the lead their dominance had been threatening to produce.”
Pivotal“Against the run of play and against all expectation, Joe Newell levelled for Hibernian right at the end of first-half stoppage time, stunning Celtic and sending the home crowd into raptures.”
Pivotal“Kelechi Iheanacho, on the pitch for barely two minutes after his introduction as a substitute, latched onto a Celtic opportunity and finished to restore the visitors' lead and ultimately settle the match.”
Pivotal
Hibernian
Celtic
Outstanding performance
Celtic•MidfielderCeltic won this contest through relentless pressure and numerical advantage, but Hibernian made them work harder than the statistics suggest. The turning point came as early as the 21st minute when Jamie McGrath was shown a red card for a foul just a minute after a caution, leaving Hibernian to defend with ten men for the vast majority of the game. Celtic capitalised before half-time through Daizen Maeda, but Joe Newell's equaliser right on the stroke of half-time gave the hosts a momentary lifeline. It proved short-lived. Celtic's 81 percent possession and 27 attempts to Hibernian's four told the story of a second half that was almost entirely one-directional, and Kelechi Iheanacho settled it with a composed finish two minutes after coming on. For Celtic, with the title race still a factor highlighted in the pre-match context, these three points carry real weight. For Hibernian, a second-place finish on cards and a performance that saw them complete only 51 percent of their passes underlines the scale of the rebuilding job ahead.
How entertaining was this match?
Arne Engels receives a yellow card.
Ante Suto takes a left-footed shot but misses.
Ante Suto is on, and Jack Iredale is off.
Dane Scarlett replaces Owen Elding.
Dane Scarlett takes a left-footed shot but misses.
Anthony Ralston replaces Benjamin Nygren.
Daniel Barlaser comes on for Joseph Peter Newell.
Kelechi Iheanacho comes on for Hyun-jun Yang.
Kelechi IheanachoKelechi Iheanacho scores with a left-footed shot.
Kelechi IheanachoGoal! Kelechi Iheanacho scores, making it 1-2.
Kieran Tierney's left-footed shot is saved.
Kieran Tierney's left-footed shot is saved.
James Forrest takes a left-footed shot, but it is blocked.
Luke McCowan takes a left-footed shot, but it is blocked.
Luke McCowan is on, and Alistair Johnston is off.
James Forrest is on, and Sebastian Tounekti is off.
Kieran Tierney takes a left-footed shot but misses.
Kieran Tierney takes a left-footed shot but misses.
Callum McGregor takes a right-footed shot, but it's saved.
Benjamin Nygren takes a left-footed shot, but it is blocked.
Jordan ObitaYellow CardJordan Obita receives a yellow card.
Jordan Obita replaces Nicky Cadden.
Josh Campbell replaces Martin Boyle.
The first half ends with a score of 1-1.
Joseph Peter Newell scores with a left-footed shot.
Sebastian Tounekti takes a right-footed shot, but it is blocked.
Daizen MaedaThe VAR decision confirms the goal for Daizen Maeda.
Arne Engels takes a right-footed shot, but it's blocked.
Daizen MaedaDaizen Maeda takes a shot with his right foot and scores.
Daizen MaedaGoal! Daizen Maeda scores to make it 1-0, assisted by Alistair Johnston.
Callum McGregor takes a left-footed shot, but it's blocked.
Callum McGregor takes a left-footed shot but misses.
Auston Trusty's left-footed shot is saved.
Alistair Johnston takes a right-footed shot but misses.
Callum McGregor's left-footed shot is blocked.
Benjamin Nygren takes a left-footed shot, but it's saved.
Benjamin Nygren takes a left-footed shot, but it's saved.
Daizen Maeda takes a right-footed shot but misses.
Benjamin Nygren's left-footed shot is blocked.
Hyun-jun Yang takes a right-footed shot, but it is blocked.
Jamie McGrathRed CardJamie McGrath receives a red card.
Jamie McGrathYellow CardJamie McGrath receives a yellow card.
Benjamin Nygren takes a left-footed shot, but it is blocked.
Benjamin Nygren's left-footed shot is blocked.
Liam Scales takes a left-footed shot but misses.
Nicky Cadden takes a left-footed shot but misses.
Daizen Maeda takes a right-footed shot but misses.
Benjamin Nygren takes a right-footed shot, but it's blocked.
