| Match Pictures | Matches: 2005 – 2006 | 2005-2006 Pictures |
Trivia
- Celtic were presented with the league trophy at full-time by Billy Connolly.
- Stan Petrov looks in a huff during the celebrations and stands alone.
- The referee is Kevin Toner, son of ex-Celt & Kilmarnock great Willie Toner.
Review
Comedian Billy Connolly presented the trophy to Celtic and the crowd could have done with a few of his jokes to liven up a flat first period. John Hartson broke away from the Hibs defence after 14 minutes but the striker's low angled shot was smothered by Malkowski.
Zurawski lashed a 20 yard drive high over the crossbar and Stephen McManus headed over before the visitors grabbed a surprise lead ten minutes from the interval.
Fletcher collected a long ball from Glass and, with Artur Boruc slow to advance, the teenager slipped the ball through the goalkeeper's legs.
Hartson squandered a chance to equalise immediately when he swiped wildly at a close range chance after Hibs skipper Gary Caldwell had misjudged an attempted clearance.
Celtic introduced Shaun Maloney after the break and inside the first minute the midfielder was inches away with a raking strike. Celtic appeared to have woken from their slumber and Chris Hogg made a vital headed clearance to deny Hartson an open goal, while Malkowski had to look smart to stop a shot from the Welshman.
Hartson then headed wide of an open goal at the back post when Malkowski had failed to gather a Shunsuke Nakamura free-kick. The Japanese playmaker was later denied by a good Malkowski save after full-back Mark Wilson had galloped forward to set him up.
Paul Telfer floated a cross into the penalty area and Zurawski was allowed to leap unchallenged and direct a header into the corner of the net.
Teams
Celtic:-
Boruc, Telfer, Varga, McManus, Wilson, Petrov (Maloney 45), Lennon, Keane (Pearson 82), Nakamura, Hartson (Dublin 66), Zurawski.
Subs not used:- Marshall, Thompson, Wallace, McGeady.
Goal:- Zurawski 76.
Hibernian:-
Malkowski, Whittaker, Caldwell, Hogg, Murphy, Fletcher, Thomson (Shiels 70), Shields, Glass, Riordan (Benjelloun 62), Konde (Sproule 45).
Subs not used:- Simon Brown, Murray, Konte, Dalglish.
Goal:- Fletcher 35.
Att:- 60,047
Ref:- K Toner.
Articles
- Match Report (see end of page below)
- Match Report (BBC)
- Strachan thrilled to lift trophy. (BBC)
Pictures
Articles
Celtic 1-1 Hibernian
BBC
Celtic were presented with the league trophy at full-time but the pre-party action was pretty tame against Hibs.
The visitors went in front after 35 minutes when Steven Fletcher ran on to a Stephen Glass pass and slid home a measured, low strike.
Celtic upped their game after the break and Hibs goalkeeper Zbigniew Malkowski made a number of impressive saves.
But Maciej Zurawski did find a way past his fellow Pole, with a powerful header on the 76th minute.
The outcome was meaningless for Gordon Strachan's champions but an unexpected point helps injury-hit Hibs in the battle for fourth place.
Comedian Billy Connolly presented the trophy to Celtic and the crowd could have done with a few of his jokes to liven up a flat first period.
A muted opening saw both sides enjoy long spells of uninterrupted possession, with Celtic favouring a patient approach and Hibs working hard to get behind the ball.
John Hartson broke away from the Hibs defence after 14 minutes but the striker's low angled shot was smothered by Malkowski.
Celtic were almost punished for some slack defending when a loose ball broke to Derek Riordan and the forward's improvised chip drifted narrowly wide.
Zurawski lashed a 20 yard drive high over the crossbar and Stephen McManus headed over before the visitors grabbed a surprise lead ten minutes from the interval.
Fletcher collected a long ball from Glass and, with Artur Boruc slow to advance, the teenager slipped the ball through the goalkeeper's legs.
Hartson squandered a chance to equalise immediately when he swiped wildly at a close range chance after Hibs skipper Gary Caldwell had misjudged an attempted clearance.
Celtic introduced Shaun Maloney after the break and inside the first minute the midfielder was inches away with a raking strike.
Steven Fletcher was on target for Hibernian
Fletcher was on target for Hibernian
The home side appeared to have woken from their slumber and Chris Hogg made a vital headed clearance to deny Hartson an open goal, while Malkowski had to look smart to stop a shot from the Welshman.
Hartson then headed wide of an open goal at the back post when Malkowski had failed to gather a Shunsuke Nakamura free-kick.
The Japanese playmaker was later denied by a good Malkowski save after full-back Mark Wilson had galloped forward to set him up.
With 20 minutes remaining, Hibs threw on Dean Shiels for his first appearance since having an eye removed in January.
But the Edinburgh side were finding it hard to keep the ball and eventually surrendered their lead.
When Celtic's goal arrived, it was from the simplest of moves.
Paul Telfer floated a cross into the penalty area and Zurawski was allowed to leap unchallenged and direct a header into the corner of the net.
Malkowski turned away a 20 yard strike from Dion Dublin then produced the save of the match to keep out a point-blank header from Zurawski and ensure a share of the spoils.
Celtic: Boruc, Telfer, Varga, McManus, Wilson, Petrov (Maloney 45), Lennon, Keane (Pearson 82), Nakamura, Hartson (Dublin 66), Zurawski. Subs Not Used: Marshall, Thompson, Wallace, McGeady.
Goal: Zurawski 76.
Hibernian: Malkowski, Whittaker, Caldwell, Hogg, Murphy, Fletcher, Thomson (Shiels 70), Shields, Glass, Riordan (Benjelloun 62), Konde (Sproule 45). Subs Not Used: Simon Brown, Murray, Konte, Dalglish.
Goal: Fletcher 35.
Att: 60,047
Ref: K Toner
Strachan thrilled to lift trophy
BBC
Celtic manager Gordon Strachan was happy to bask in the glory of his side's title-winning party.
"There was no life in the game in the first-half and I thought it was going to be a bit of a damp squib," he told BBC Sport after the 1-1 draw with Hibs.
"But the second-half was as good as we've played against Hibs this season.
"We never dreamed of this. I thought we could win the championship but not as early as we did. It has been a wonderful effort from everyone here."
However, Strachan is in no danger of resting on his laurels since he believes competition will be fierce next season.
"I already know that we need to improve in this league alone because Hearts and Rangers are getting stronger, using money and when Hibs get their players back they will also be stronger.
"We will need to get better and hopefully we can also do well in Europe."
Hibernian skipper Gary Caldwell and Scotland striker Kenny Miller will arrive in the summer but Strachan is also working on new signings.
"I know right away that we need more players for that," he added.
"The wheels are in motion. We are doing a few bits and bobs behind the scenes."
John Hartson, will discuss his Celtic future in the next few weeks, but the Welsh striker was just delighted to be part of the league triumph.
"It's a fantastic achievement to have won the title as early as we did," he told BBC Sport.
"It wasn't a vintage performance from us but we showed what we can do in the second half.
"And that was against a resilient Hibs side, who are still playing for something."
Celtic chief executive Peter Lawwell was effusive in his praise for the Scottish football writers' manager of the year Strachan prior to the match.
"This is a massive job and Gordon has performed magnificently in his first season," he told BBC Sport.
"It's been a transitional year for us. He's had to rebuild a squad and get the wage bill down."