2010-04-17: Celtic 3-2 Hibernian, SPL

Trivia

• League is over anyhow, but we keep going. Rangers play tomorrow.
• A spat between Neil Lennon & ex-Celt/media muppet Charlie Nicholas has developed over criticisms from the latter.

Review

For Celtic, there doesn't appear to be any more easy matches. Teams don't have any qualms about facing us, and we have lost much sense of our pride. Lennon was still reeling from the Ross County debacle last week, and he deserved better.

Hibs had alredy taken a victory off us at Celtic Park, so we had to be aware. In any case, a difficult match in which after some good early play with a fine goal, we let Hibs back in, and after the break went behind. If there is one change of this side in the league is that they do continue to battle, and our pressure paid off in the last ten mins with two late goals to give us a victory.

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BBC

Celtic delayed Rangers' expected title celebrations by winning a blistering five-goal encounter with Hibernian.
Robbie Keane's fourth-minute tap-in was cancelled out two minutes later through Derek Riordan's long-range strike.
Anthony Stokes gave Hibs the lead with a 54th-minute penalty then Marc-Antoine Fortune levelled with a close-range tap-in with 10 minutes remaining.
Morten Rasmussen latched on to a Fortune through ball three minutes from the end to claim the three points.
Had Celtic failed to win, Rangers could have clinched the Scottish Premier League title with a victory over Hearts on Sunday, but the gap at the top has now been reduced to eight points.
Marc-Antoine Fortune and Artur Boruc had returned to the Celtic starting 11, with Diomansy Kamara missing out with a hamstring injury, while Paul Hanlon, David Wotherspoon and Kevin McBride came in for Hibs, replacing Steven Thicot, Patrick Cregg and Liam Miller.

Keane scored the simplest of goals in the fourth minute after McGeady latched on to a slack pass from Darren McCormack and crossed in from the left for the Irishman to slot home with ease from six yards out.
However, Hibs responded in stunning fashion two minutes later when Stokes sent a simple ball across the edge of the Celtic box and Riordan blasted in a 20-yard shot that left Boruc standing.
Colin Nish passed up a perfect opportunity to take the lead after 10 minutes when Stokes sent a ball across the face of goal and the former Killie man swiped at fresh air.
Sol Bamba saved Hibs' blushes on the counter-attack when Keane beat the offside trap and set up Fortune, but the Ivory Coast man cleared the danger.
The flag stayed down for Celtic's Niall McGinn in the 16th minute, but the Northern Irishman was thwarted by Hibs keeper Graham Stack, who also kept out a Landry N'Guemo strike four minutes later.

Moments later, Keane was unlucky not to hit the target with an 18-yard strike that inched over the bar, then Riordan repeated the feat at the other end.
Celtic's Mark Wilson ballooned an effort over the bar in the 35th minute then Fortune came close with a looping header.
As the half-time interval approached, McGeady fired a tempting ball across the face of goal that Scott Brown failed to reach then Fortune turned and struck from 10 yards out but aimed too high.
On the stroke of half-time, Keane fired in a powerful shot from the edge of the Hibs penalty area that Stack tipped out and Celtic failed to capitalise on the resulting corner.
After the break, Celtic defender Josh Thompson headed wide from a McGinn corner then Fortune hit Stack's left-hand post after holding off the Hibs defence.
Hibs took the lead in the 54th minute when Thompson fouled Stokes in the Celtic penalty area and referee Stephen Finnie pointed to the penalty spot then Stokes stepped up and calmly slotted past Boruc.
Stokes powered down on the Celtic goal in the 65th minute, latching on to a long ball and holding off a challenge from Thompson, but his angled shot failed to reach the target.
Substitute Andreas Hinkel tested Stack with a low drive then Bamba managed to clear the deflection as Celtic pressed for an equaliser.
Brown blasted another low drive in the 76th minute that inched past the left-hand post then sub Rasmussen and Naylor had attempts go astray.
Keane was unlucky with a close-range effort from the six-yard box then the equaliser arrived from the boot of Fortune in the 80th minute.
McGeady glided a tempting ball from the left that Keane failed to reach, but the Frenchman was waiting at the back to slot home.
Rasmussen almost retook the lead for Celtic 60 seconds later with a strike from 18 yards that inched past the post.
The Dane finally found the net from close range with three minutes of the match remaining when Fortune slotted through the Hibs defence and Rasmussen got a foot to it.
John Rankin's late free-kick was punched clear by Boruc as Hibs pushed forward in vain to try and claim a point.