2018-01-27: Celtic 1-0 Hibernian, SP

Match Pictures | Matches: 2017 – 2018 | 2017-18 Pictures

Trivia

• Celtic remain on top of the league. Still not convincing of late.
• Brendan Rodgers overall Celtic record: 100 matches, 73 wins, 15 draws, 12 losses. 73% win ratio. 241 goals scored, 90 goals conceded. 4 trophies won.
• Brendan Rodgers has criticised the quality of refereeing in Scotland, wondering whether the officials actually know the rules. The Celtic boss, speaking ahead of his side’s clash with Hearts, questioned why the assistant didn’t flag for Don Cowie entering the Celtic boss in the build up to the opening goal in December’s 4-0 defeat. He also queried why Leigh Griffiths was given offside from a throw-in during Tuesday’s win over Partick Thistle.
• Charly Musonda has fuelled speculation he is on the verge of securing an 18-month loan move to Celtic after ‘liking’ a post about the transfer on Instagram. Brendan Rodgers is keen to add the playmaker to his squad as the Scottish champions look to negotiate the finer points of the deal with his parent club Chelsea.
• OBFA Act: A bid to repeal the Offensive Behaviour at Football Act has been backed by MSPs in its first full vote at Holyrood. Brendan Rodgers believes Neil Lennon should be the leading candidate for the Scotland managerial vacancy in the aftermath of Michael O’Neill’s decision to turn the job down.
• Peter Lawwell has written to the SFA demanding answers as to why the Scotland national team will be making a long trip to Peru and Mexico to play summer friendlies right after the end of the Scottish football season. The Celtic chief executive is unhappy that many of the club’s players will see their campaigns extended by two weeks as a result
• Celtic could be without both Leigh Griffiths and Craig Gordon for their upcoming Europa League tie against Zenit St Petersburg. Both limped off as the Scottish champions defeated Hibernian 1-0 at Celtic Park yesterday and their manager Brendan Rodgers admitted it was unlikely either will win a race against time to be fit for the 15 February first leg
• Craig Gordon is believed to have a knee injury, search on for new replacement.
• CGS hold a remembrance for Joseph Shaughnessy
• Gary Caldwell has contacted Scottish Football Association chief Stewart Regan to express an interest in the Scotland job. Nobody believes he is the right fit. Scotland have been drawn to face Albania and Israel in the draw for the UEFA Nations League. Fancy little spruced up friendly matches.
• Celtic reported to be ‘privately furious’ with Stewart Regan, accusing the SFA chief of jeopardising the clubs hopes of another money-spinning Champions League campaign. All due to SFA’s decision to schedule friendly matches in Peru and Mexico in June.
• Transfer Window:
• Celtic reportedly chucked out a £12 million bid for Moussa Dembele from Brighton, branding it ‘way under his value’. The Seagulls then spent £14 million on Jurgen Locadia but Brendan Rodgers is adamant that the Parkhead side don’t want to sell the striker.
• Cardiff City are poised to make an offer for Hibs midfielder John McGinn after watching the Scotland international in action during last weekend’s Scottish Cup derby.

Review

(mr 4hfls of KDS)
Ok first half. I thought Ntcham bossed the midfield for most of it.

Second half we were dreadful. We were on the back foot for most of that half. We were sitting deep and struggling to keep the ball and get out of our own half at times. It was like watching us in Europe. And this was a game v Hibs

We now need a new goalie as a result of Gordon's injury and Hazard now being out on loan.

We also are facing a lengthy spell without Griffiths. So if Dembele is being sold we need a new striker.

As for the constant condemnation of McGregor on here and at the games I just don't get it. About half the team were worse than him today. There is one roaster in particular who sits about five or six seats away from me. Tierney badly under hits a pass…"Unlucky Kieran!" McGregor chases down a Hibs player for 30 yards and forces the player in to a pass backwards…"For f*cksake McGregor don't just staun there, dae something!!! You're too f*ckin lightweight!!!"

Gordon went down injured. This apparently was a reason for said gentleman to ask the question at the top of his voice, "Why is McGregor still on this f*ckin pitch???"

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Celtic 1 – 0 Hibs: Griffiths nets winner in tight encounter
https://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/competitions/premiership/celtic-1-0-hibs-griffiths-nets-winner-in-tight-encounter-1-4674488
Moira Gordon

Published: 17:28 Saturday 27 January 2018
Prior to this game Neil Lennon was bemoaning the lack of a striker he can depend upon. His frustrations would have been further fuelled by the fact that there was little between his men and the league champions in this tussle.
“The difference between the teams is the £10 million striker. He’s tops and he makes the difference and I know that’s what it takes sometimes,” said the Easter Road manager. “That’s the difference in games like today.”
That man was Leigh Griffiths, the Hibernian fan and former player, who netted his first career goal against his boyhood heroes.
The fact that he departed the field just four minutes later was a source of relief for the travelling contingent, although it was far from ideal for Celtic, who will now step up their bid to land Chelsea’s attacking midfielder Charly Musonda on loan.
While the Parkhead club can address their weaknesses, adding a goalkeeper to their winter shopping list after Craig Gordon hobbled off at half-time with a knee injury that could rule him out the upcoming Europa League action, and splashing cash to reinvigorate their forward ranks, Lennon is well aware of his limitations.
This game was Brendan Rodgers’ 100th in charge of Celtic and it saw his side march on relentlessly. More than three-quarters of that century at the helm have been in domestic action and only one of those has ended in defeat and this game was an example of how they have managed that.
All it took was that one goal and Hibernian will be disappointed with the part they played in it. It was a ball crossed in deep by Kieran Tierney and although the Easter Road captain Paul Hanlon got to it first, his touch only played it into the path of Griffiths, who was waiting to pounce and fired it back across Ofir Marciano’s goal and inside the far post.
Eight years to the day since they had last recorded a win at Celtic Park, Hibs started the game with intent. Laying their cards on the table early, they warned their hosts that they had made the trip west looking for a greater reward than their last trip, when they had been close to leaving with a victory before Callum McGregor equalised.
• READ MORE: Hibs to offer Aberdeen target Dylan McGeouch improved deal
This time Celtic knew what to expect, though, and while they never reached the high standards they are capable of they still did enough to see out the game. The could have made life more comfortable if they had buried one or two more of the opportunities that came their way but, in the end, thanks to their guests’ inadequacies in front of goal, that extra cushion was not required.
Celtic were kicking themselves as they blew a gilt-edged opening in the 14th minute after Dylan McGeouch brought down Celtic’s McGregor on the edge of the area. Griffiths took the set piece and Marciano was superb in getting his hands to it but couldn’t hold and as the ball spun out it was Scott Sinclair who reacted first but the Celtic winger was left shame-faced as he played it onto the bar from close range.
A Griffiths voilley spun just wide in the 21st minute and Hibs could have made the home side rue their profligacy a minute later when Brandon Barker found himself through one on one with Gordon but could not get his effort past the Scotland international.
A calf injury saw a distraught Griffiths trudge off in the 32nd minute, replaced by Moussa Dembele but the player who has been the focus of so much transfer speculation failed to trouble the Hibs backline and it was the home defence who were left looking the shakier after Gordon failed to re-emerge for the start of the second period.
Replaced by Dorus De Vries, there was a greater degree of uncertainty and that simply stoked Hibs’ belief.
But, still blunt in the final third, for all Hibs’ possession it was Celtic who still created more.
A Olivier Ntcham delivery was picked up by Sinclair but his low effort was saved by Marciano. Hibs sent on Simon Murray, Danny Swanson and Jamie Maclaren but their best effort came from a long range McGinn effort which had De Vries diving down to his left to push the ball behind.

BBC
Leigh Griffiths scored the only goal before limping off as Premiership leaders Celtic held on against a spirited but blunt Hibs.
Scott Sinclair spurned an incredible chance, hitting the post after a Griffiths free-kick had been saved.
But the home side moved ahead when Griffiths met a cross from Kieran Tierney to covert at the back post.
Hibs saw more of the ball after the interval but could not find a way past replacement goalkeeper Dorus de Vries.
Home manager Brendan Rodgers showered his counterpart, Neil Lennon, with praise in the preamble, suggesting that his fellow Northern Irishman might just be a perfect fit for the vacant Scotland job. Lennon responded by thanking Rodgers for his kind words.

• Gordon injury cause for Celtic concern

As build-ups go it was two men tickling each other's tummy. It wasn't going to last.
Celtic began with Griffiths up front and Moussa Dembele on the bench. Again. Dembele's immediate future is one of the hottest topics in Scottish football these days. Is he staying or is he going? Is his attitude good or not good? There's been conflicting messages coming out of Celtic Park, but a substitute he was for this one.
Griffiths got the nod and it was the striker who almost helped open the scoring after a quarter of an hour. His free-kick was beaten away by Ofir Marciano and when the breaking ball fell to Sinclair you would have lumped every last penny you possessed on him scoring from a few yards out.
Instead of adding to his impressive goal tally, Sinclair scooped his effort on to the woodwork in what will go down as the miss of not just this season but many other seasons besides.
Five minutes later, Celtic engineered another fine chance, created by Sinclair but spurned by Griffiths whose sclaffed volley went wide.
These were fairly dizzying moments. Brandon Barker forced a fine save from Craig Gordon. Then, Martin Boyle caused Celtic more problems. Just when Hibs thought they were getting themselves into it, though, they went behind.
It was Tierney's cross from the left that caused the problem to begin with. In trying to deal with the delivery, Paul Hanlon got freaked by Griffiths' presence behind him close to the six-yard box. Hanlon's header was weak and only served to set up the striker, whose placed his shot across goal. Retreating madly, Hibs could do nothing to keep it out.
Griffiths ran away not to celebrate the goal but to make a gesture of apology to the visiting fans down that end of Celtic Park. His old club still means a huge amount to him.
For Griffiths, this was, sadly, his last act. After two goals in two games, another knock was the least thing he needed, but that's what he got just after the half-hour. He retired a frustrated man, replaced by Dembele, who didn't have a whole lot of impact. One shot, one yellow card for diving and that was about the size of it.

At the break, Rodgers had to make another change, Gordon having picked up an injury towards the end of the half. On came 37-year-old De Vries for just his seventh appearance for the club.
Having missed one sitter, Sinclair then went and missed another great chance six minutes into the new half. From close-range, he didn't get enough power in his shot and allowed Marciano to kick clear. Such wastefulness has, previously, cost them points against Hibs who had managed to score six times in three games with Celtic before this one.
Hibs tend to struggle to convert in front of goal but they've had a habit of raising their strike-rate when Celtic are the opposition.
The memory of their last encounter – Celtic were 2-0 up and hung on for a 2-2 draw at the end – would have reminded Celtic that nothing was done with the score at a mere 1-0.
The visitors enjoyed a huge amount of possession in the second half. They had a shot from distance from the impressive John McGinn that was pushed away by De Vries. Later on, Tierney had to defend smartly to deny substitute Jamie MacLaren.
Celtic became flat, meandering their way through the remainder of the game, but they deserved their win, even if they were nowhere close to producing their best stuff. Griffiths, not for the first or the last time, won the day.