Arne Engels returned to strike as Celtic kept up the pace at the top of the Premiership.
The Belgian hit the fourth goal of his Parkhead career to open the scoring before Adam Idah’s header was knocked into his own net by Hibs captain Joe Newell. Sub Kyogo Furuhashi leapt from the bench to score a sublime third near the finish as the champions triumphed.
It was a day where Celtic created chances and took some of them. Hibs, on the other end, didn’t. David Gray’s team wasted huge opportunities. Mykola Kukharevych missed two huge one-on-one openings as did Elie Youan. Celtic keeper Kasper Schmeichel made big saves for his team at those moments and his colleagues made them count at the other end. Victory ensured there were no slips for Brendan Rodgers’ team ahead of their Champions League showdown against Dinamo Zagreb. It was not, however, plain sailing with some scares.
Hibs had a magnificent opportunity in the opening seconds when Nectarios Triantis sprung the home backline with a brilliant pass which sent Kukharevych racing through one-on-one. The Ukrainian had time against Schmeichel, but the Dane thrust out a leg to stop and also pushed away a subsequent strike from Nicky Cadden.
Kukharevych would pay dearly moments later when Engels flicked the champions ahead. Nicolas Kuhn released Alistair Johnston who delivered a centre which the Belgian knocked into the net.
Luke McCowan hit the bar just afterwards from a Daizen Maeda pass and Adam Idah came close as Rodgers’ side hunted a quick kill. Hibs stayed composed and some lovely build-up engineered a chance for Newell which he hoisted over the crossbar.
Having had one chance to beat Schmeichel, Kukharevych got another when put through again and, for a second time, he got it wrong. His heavy touch at the wrong time allowed the Celtic keeper to save.
The striker had to go off injured soon afterwards before Idah missed a great chance when he failed to flick home Kuhn’s centre. Idah’s turn and snapshot was saved by No.1 Jordan Smith just before the interval to keep the deficit at one for his team at the restart.
Smith denied Engels from kick-off, but was helpless when Newell beat him from close range. McCowan’s corner was won by Idah who head flicked for goal and his effort was knocked into his own net by Hibs captain.
That gave Celtic breathing space, yet it was almost taken away when McCowan was short with a backpass. Schmeichel again made a one-on-one stop, denied Cadden at the rebound and also made subsequent saves from Josh Campbell and Lewis Miller.
Celtic also had more looks with Smith making a flying save from an Auston Trusty header before Kyogo sealed the deal. The Japanese striker expertly took a pass from fellow sub James Forrest and lifted a delightful finish high into the net with aplomb.
Arne back to make a scoring impact
The Belgian kid was back in the starting line-up having been sat on the bench at the beginning of the previous two games against Ross County and Aberdeen and he was on the scoresheet quickly with an opener, which came from a good darting run into the box. Engels was yellow carded before the interval and had an effort saved straight from the restart by Hibs keeper Smith.
Not everything came off for the young midfielder and he had to dig in and do plenty of work, but there’s no questioning his graft and willingness. Reo Hatate and Paulo Bernardo have been terrific in recent weeks and it’s highly likely one or both may start the Euro tie against Dinamo Zagreb on Tuesday. yet Engels will surely still have a role to play, either to start it or finish it. The power of the squad.
Wasteful Hibs punished
Hibs had scored three goals in both of their previous games against Aberdeen and Motherwell and they had the chance to do the same inside the first-half in Glasgow’s East End. The chances missed by Mykola Kukharevych and Joe Newell were huge, especially facing the league leaders.
These were massive moments for David Gray’s team. It’s impossible to know how the afternoon could have turned out for Hibs had they taken the lead or even levelled. Hibs will get fewer sighters of goal on some days and win games and they played their way out of the press well at times. When you are at the bottom of the table, such opportunities can’t be spurned.
Kasper key
The Dane receives plenty of plaudits for the use of his feet in possession and also the experience and guidance he can provide for the team. However, the bottom line is that he remains a tremendous goalkeeper and capable of huge moments. The saves he made in the first half from Kukharevych, regardless of the lack of conviction from the attacker, were excellent and vital. Schmeichel was at it again from Elie Youan, Nicky Cadden and Josh Campbell after the restart to display his abilities time and again.
The former Leicester ace was lauded in the build-up to the match by his manager Rodgers with his hunger and appetite suggesting he can keep going for a long time. That is great news for the champions and he is going to be huge in the coming matches against Dinamo Zagreb and Rangers. The fact he got sponsors Man of the Match said plenty.