This is how it feels (Celtic 210418)
In the lead up to the game there were some very positive noises coming out of Easter Road and I arrived at the stadium hoping the likes of Paul Hanlon and Steven Whittaker wouldn’t be left with egg on their faces. Neil Lennon took a more cautious approach in his pre match comments, saying that he knew Celtic would be looking to gather the three points needed to secure the title but that Hibs would fight all the way to avoid that happening. As it turned out, Paul and Steven were bang on the money and Neil got his selection and tactics absolutely spot on. The game may have finished 2-1 but other than a spell in the second half, after the introduction of Sinclair for Ntcham, Hibs were the better team all over the park.
As Scott Allan was not allowed to face Celtic and Darren McGregor was ruled out through injury, Neil Lennon brought in Whittaker to play on the right side of a back three and Danny Swanson to play in the central midfield role vacant due to Allan’s unavailability. From kick off it was Hibs that took control of the game, pressing Celtic high up the pitch and not allowing them time to build from the back. On occasion the high press allowed the likes of McGregor and Rogic time on the ball in midfield but they put that possession to little constructive use.
Having good possession was only half the job for this hungry Hibs team and it’s ironic that the best of the early chances fell to Griffiths and Rogic but on both occasions they were thwarted by excellent saves by Marciano. At the other end it was often an unlucky break of the ball that stopped Hibs from getting a shot away but after about twenty five minutes their superiority paid off. A partial block by McGinn on an attempted clearance saw the ball moving towards James Forrest but Lewis Stevenson got there first and headed the ball back towards McGinn. SJM then rolled the ball to the advancing Stevenson who curled in a delightful low cross to the back post where Maclaren thumped in the opener. It was no more than Hibs deserved and it certainly quietened down the prospective partygoers in the South Stand. Boyata then nearly scored in his own net before Swanson tried a deft lob which Gordon plucked out of the air meaning the sides went in at half time with Hibs one ahead.
Celtic started the second half with Sinclair on for Ntcham, Brendan Rodgers obviously hoping to stretch the Hibs rear guard and although Sinclair saw a fair bit of the ball I thought Whitty and Boyler dealt with him well. A chance then fell the way of Rogic who looked sure to score from about ten yards but once again Rocky came to the rescue. Following an injury to Swanson who took a real sore one in a challenge that went unpunished by referee Steven McLean, Hibs replaced him with Brandon Barker. The youngster’s impact was immediate and he was unlucky when a mazy run ended with his left foot shot going wide of the post. Certainly the Celtic defence were wary of his pace and as they backed off the ball was fed to Maclaren who shot just wide. It would be Maclaren’s last involvement as Neil Lennon reacted to Celtic making two changes to their attacking forwards, by brining on Slivka for the last fifteen minutes.
As Celtic pressed, Boyler sent a pass down the line which Kamberi chased before sending over a cross that witnessed Slivka stoop to glance a header beyond Gordon and into the net. The home support went wild and the visiting support started to trickle out of the stadium. Hibs were right on top now and perhaps a little too adventurous as they got caught for numbers at the back, allowing substitute Edouard to slot the ball past Rocky. At that point, three minutes of normal time remained and referee McLean added another five which brought groans from the Hibs support but in fairness there had been a few stoppages for injuries and a whole flurry of substitutions.
In the not so distant past, Hibs might have crumbled in such circumstances, unable to cope with the pressure of the situation but that was certainly not going to happen today. Hibs kept control of the game with Hanlon in defence and McGinn in midfield both pillars of strength while Barker and Boyle posed an ever present threat. When the final whistle blew, fairness prevailed as make no mistake Hibs were fantastic today and won all of the battles needed to secure the three points.
The players
Rocky – Three fantastic saves that came at crucial times. If there was a fault to highlight it would be that his kicking is often very frustrating as the ball never seems to reach the intended target. That’s all the more baffling because if you watch him in the warm up the ball almost always goes exactly where he’s aiming to put it.
Whitty – I know there are still some who feel Whitty is something of a spent force but I thought he was excellent today in his role on the right of the back three. Reading the game helps him a lot and that kind of skill comes only with experience.
Efe – I thought Efe did for me what he almost always does in both exciting me and terrifying me over the course of ninety minutes. In fact he can achieve that over the course of a few minutes at any time and while he dallied on the ball a little too long at times today he made up for it with a few good interceptions.
Paul – Everything in Paul’s garden is rosy at the moment and long may it continue. His positional sense and reading of the game are both excellent and today he demonstrated both in abundance. Add that to his enormous desire to succeed, something that is clearly picked up by his team mates and I’m over the moon that he’s signed that new contract.
Boyler – Martin was great today in both an attacking and defensive sense. Going forward he gave Golden Boy Tierney a hard time and when defending he more often than not denied Tierney space to exploit on our right flank. I thought he also quickly formed an impressive understanding with Whittaker as Celtic seemed hell bent on attacking down our right hand side.
Dylan – It saddens me that Dylan may no longer be with us next season as he is such a fantastic footballer to watch. The guy never stops moving and is always available for a pass while I think a part of his game that gets little recognition is his ability to win the ball in a tackle, which he did to great effect a number of times today. The sponsors named him as their man of the match and it’s easy to see why.
Danny – I thought he started the game really well but seemed to drift after a while. Having said that he played his part in a winning team and when he was on the ball he invariably made good use of it. His little one-two trick around the edge of the box with Kamberi is only a shoelace away from opening up defences.
SJM – It was always going to be a battle in midfield with John and Scott Brown trying to be top dog. On this occasion, John won the challenge by a long way and it’s to his eternal credit that in between his frequent jousts with Brown he found the time to ping forty yard passes and to drive Hibs forward at every opportunity. I thought a few players were in the frame for my man of the match award but I’ve given it to Super.
Lewis – Not for the first time this season we witnessed the much vaunted James Forrest being hooked because Lewis was giving him nothing in the game. In fact it’s as well Forrest went off as it created space in Lewis’ pocket to tuck Patrick Roberts in. The cross for the goal was first class, as was the rest of his game today.
Jamie – As far as I know, Jamie still has a couple of years on his contract with Darmstadt but if Hibs can work out some kind of deal I’d love to see him on a permanent contract at ER. His movement is excellent and today’s goal is a case in point because as soon as Lewis received that pass from Super, I looked up and spotted Jamie peeling off Boyata to take up position at the back post, allowing him to open the scoring.
Flo – Once again the big fella put himself about and created all sorts of problems for Boyata and Ajer. There’s one part of his game that I love to watch and which, in my opinion, is often overlooked and this is when he takes a ball in and protects it well until he can lay it off to a team mate. It doesn’t always work but it does the majority of the time. Add those pluses to an increasing understanding with Jamie and you’ve got a pretty potent mix.
Brandon – It was great to see the laddie back on the pitch although I’m not sure the Celtic defenders would agree as he pretty well terrorised them at times. Running at pace with the ball at your feet is not an easy skill but he seems to have mastered it.
Slivka – Another whose face made a welcome return and I thought he worked hard in midfield, getting forward when he could but equally importantly, getting back when needed to defend. Not since the days of Pat McGinlay have we seen a midfield player make a late run into the box to get on the end of a cross. Slivka did that today and to good effect.
Neil – As I said at the start, I thought he got his tactics and selection absolutely spot on today and huge credit must go to him, Gary Parker and the rest of the coaches for preparing Hibs so well for this crucial game.
The fans – Once the unwashed hordes in the South watched their side go a goal down, I thought our fans came into their own and got right behind the team. Hibs are a joy to watch at the moment and that is obvious with the numbers that turn out to witness them.
The ref – A bit of a mixed bag from McLean today but over the piece he probably did ok, especially as he was meant to be Willie Collum
