2019-03-02: Hibernian 0-2 Celtic, Scottish Cup

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Review

Neil Lennon: ""I had a great time at Hibs" "But I have a job to do now. I am absolutely delighted, I got everything I wanted. I thought it was an outstanding performance from the team. We had total control, and I thought that was the best I’ve seen them play for a while. We had a brilliant mentality, it’s been a very difficult week for them all – physically and emotionally – so for them to go out and play they way they did, particularly in the second-half, speaks volumes for this group of players.I’ve moved Jamesy into a more central position about 10 minutes before half-time, because we weren’t affecting between the lines enough. John made a few tweaks tactically as well, just to give us better control of the game. The second-half was magnificent"

“Scott Brown and James Forrest are two Celtic greats and they are still writing their own legacies at the club.” Neil Lennon.

(CBhoy1967 of KDS)
Another great and well deserved result – Fantastic two results after the pish of this week.

Far from our best but I felt we were always winning that one – Similarly Forrest has been far from his best since the turnoff the year but he always has that sort of game changing goal in him and that one was a belter.

No problems at the back – Well organised and working hard – We will be okay – Beat the Sheep and the league is closing in – Two Hampden wins and we are there.

Hibs pish – As with all the others two banks of defenders trying to hold out but they offered nothing upfront – Saw the bottle and the coin please let the cctv catch the priiiicks – Never saw a bottle from our area but if one is proven to have been thrown I hope that catch that priiiick also.

Well done to Neil Lennon and the team

Teams

Hibernian
1Marciano
2Gray
24McGregorBooked at 90mins
4Hanlon
16Stevenson
5Milligan
Substituted forBartleyat 64'minutes
40Omeonga
Substituted forShawat 76'minutes
8Slivka
7Horgan
Substituted forMallanat 64'minutesBooked at 84mins
9McNulty
22Kamberi
Substitutes
6Bartley
14Mallan
20Bigirimana
32Shaw
41Dabrowski
43Mackie
49Allan

Celtic
29Bain
23Lustig
20Boyata Substituted forToljanat 85'minutes
35Ajer
63Tierney
6Bitton
8Brown
49Forrest
25Burke Substituted forHendersonat 90'minutes
11Sinclair Substituted forJohnstonat 76'minutes
22Edouard
Substitutes
1Gordon
2Toljan
4Hendry
15Hayes
30Weah
52Henderson
73Johnston
Goals

• Forrest (62' minutes),
• Brown (75' minutes)

Referee:
William Collum
Attendance:
15,719

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Stats

HibernianAway TeamCeltic
Possession
Home37%
Away63%
Shots
Home6
Away13
Shots on Target
Home2
Away3
Corners
Home4
Away2
Fouls
Home8
Away6

Articles

Hibernian 0 – 2 Celtic: James Forrest and Scott Brown help holders to comfortable win
Celtic's James Forrest celebrates the opener. Pic: SNS/Rob Casey
Celtic's James Forrest celebrates the opener. Pic: SNS/Rob Casey
Andrew Smith
Published: 19:06 Saturday 02 March 2019
https://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/teams/hibernian/hibernian-0-2-celtic-james-forrest-and-scott-brown-help-holders-to-comfortable-win-1-4882394
With a howitzer of an individual strike from James Forrest and an imperious finish from Scott Brown allowing Celtic to run out comfortable winners from their Scottish Cup quarter-final at Easter Road, Neil Lennon was entitled to feel it is suddenly like the early 2010s all over again.

Indeed, he ought to be pinching himself at how events have panned out on the back of tumult and turmoil that buffeted the Scottish champions with the fast flit of Brendan Rodgers to Leicester City on Tuesday. As if easing into a pair of comfortable old slippers, Lennon has taken up residence again in his spiritual home and serenely moved his club closer to a treble treble through adding the scalp of his old club Hibernian to that of Hearts across a matter of days and extending the record run of domestic cup wins to 25.

Brown and Forrest were two mainstays from Lennon first spell in charge of the Parkhead side that kicked off nine years ago this month. The 47-year-old might feel that everything is better second time around in assessing the opening to this stint. It has allowed him to achieve a feat that eluded his all-conquering predecessor Rodgers. The newly-installed Leicester City manager never won at Easter Road, with Lennon in Leith to thwart him. Lennon’s switch back to the away dressing room has coincided with a first win for Celtic at the ground since last time he held the post, back in January 2014.

There was fevered anticipation about a cup tie that had the Lennon/Hibs, Rodgers/Lennon subplots stitched into it. Ultimately, aside from the goals and a Buckfast bottle being thrown towards Scott Sinclair from an area housing Hibs as the winger prepared to take a corner, there was little needle or anything else to ensure it got under the skin.

Paul Heckingbottom’s side were feeble, did not create a single clear cut opportunity, and, from the moment that Forrest delightfully carved out the 61st minute opener, appeared a beaten side. A first defeat in four for the Englishman, he admitted that Celtic were simply better.

It was, in part, a tale of two strategies, and changes to these across the 90 minutes. Cat and mouse between the two teams, Heckingbottom didn’t ape the Lennon approach for Hibs’ recent wins over Celtic at Easter Road, playing two strikers and so not crowding Celtic in midfield to prevent their centre-backs building the play by allowing Brown to pick it up from them. The visitors, meanwhile, were reconfigured by Lennon after half an hour, when he switched Forrest inside from wide right, with Oliver Burke, who had started as Celtic’s most advanced striker, moving to that wing. In turn Odsonne Edouard was pushed up front from the no.10 role that Forrest took up.

The Scotland attacker began to get on the ball in dangerous areas and exploded this cup-tie with a stupendous hit, melting a drive into the top corner after he had slalomed past two markers.

Brown, enjoying a renaissance as a goalscorer, then claimed his third strike in six games when he seized on a cutback from Edouard, danced away from Paul Hanlon and then ripped an effort past Ofir Marciano from around the penalty spot.

It allowed the visiting support to glory in their team – having earlier gloried in the Provisional IRA with renditions of Roll of Honour – and glory in further bating of their erstwhile manager with the charming ditty of “F*** Brendan Rodgers, you won’t be winning trophies any more”. Their subsequent serenading of Lennon seemed almost an afterthought. You have to wonder if football supporters, with claims that both sets hurled bottles towards the pitch, actually know how to derive harmless enjoyment from watching the game these days.

For Brown, though the week was hardly your average one, it turned into a case of Celtic doing with Lennon what they have become accustomed to doing across the Rodgers seven trophy era.

It’s been a roller-coaster but we’ve got two good results in the space of a few days,” he said. “We’re in another semi-final at Hampden which was a really good venue for us under Brendan. Here’s hoping it can be a great place for us with Neil as well. We’re very motivated and the longer games go on, the stronger and fitter we look.

“I kept in touch with Neil the whole time he was away, even when he was down in Bolton. We’ve got a great bond and strong relationship. It’s just been great to get two victories at difficult venues. Easter Road has been a tough place to come for us so it was a great win.

We’re just enjoying playing football and winning games. We need to keep pushing on now.
Former Hibs manager Alan Stubbs. Picture: Steve Welsh
Alan Stubbs: Brendan Rodgers will regret leaving Celtic, like I regret leaving Hibs

“Everyone in the dressing-room understands the situation now. Neil has come in and been fantastic. We have to focus on that now moving forward. “People could have used Brendan leaving as an excuse. But for us, we have games to win every three or four days.

“We’ve always been close as a squad, that’s been shown in the last two and a half years by winning seven trophies. No-one has ever got in between us and the dressing-room has always been fantastic.”

BBC

By Colin Moffat

BBC Scotland

From the section Scottish Cup

Forrest and Brown double take Celtic to Scottish Cup semi finals

Stunning second-half strikes from James Forrest and Scott Brown ensured Neil Lennon enjoyed his return to Easter Road as holders Celtic progressed to the semi-finals of the Scottish Cup.

The new Celtic boss left Hibs just four weeks ago and inflicted his successor Paul Heckingbottom's first defeat.

Forrest smashed in the opener just after a glass bottle was thrown in the direction of Celtic's Scott Sinclair.

Brown then doubled the visitors' lead with an equally venomous effort.

The league leaders stretched their winning run in cup competitions to 25 games and remain on course for a third successive clean sweep of trophies following a comfortable evening against surprisingly passive opponents.

Glass bottle thrown at Sinclair at Easter Road
Scottish Cup live – as it happened & reaction
Who was your man of the match?
Lennon lauds 'Celtic greats' after Hibs win

There was no sign of the hosts being fired up against their former manager. Hibs worked hard, with Stephane Omeonga a blur of industry in midfield, but failed to pose any menace in attack.
Celtic turn up the heat in second half

The game certainly did not match the hype surrounding Lennon's swift return but the goals were special.

There was an early scare for Hibs when Vykintas Slivka gave the ball away in the middle of the park and a quick pass released Oliver Burke, who fired in a fierce shot on the angle that Ofir Marciano did well to push away.

The ball broke towards Sinclair inside the six yard box but defender Paul Hanlon got the first touch and the ball cannoned off the visiting forward and rolled just wide.

A daisy-cutter from Marc McNulty was easily gathered by Scott Bain and that was about it for the Celtic goalkeeper, with the crossing from home full-backs David Gray and Lewis Stevenson particularly disappointing.

Odsonne Edouard looked certain to score after driving into the box following a good surge from Brown but scuffed the turf when met by the advancing Marciano and a follow-up shot from Forrest was blocked by Mark Milligan.

Marciano impressed again when he came flying off his line to punch clear as Edouard stretched to meet a fabulous curling delivery from Kieran Tierney.

The visitors upped the tempo after the break, with Hibs remaining reluctant to commit men forward, and Forrest, playing in advanced central role, made the breakthrough in spectacular fashion.

Milligan, who was replaced moments later, looked spent and Forrest danced past the ailing Australian then touched the ball beyond Slivka before hammering the sweetest of strikes high into the net from 20 yards.

In the minutes leading to the opening goal, a glass bottle thrown from the East Stand landed close to Sinclair, missing the winger by a few feet.

Celtic were in complete control against a Hibs side who had won three out of three under Heckingbottom and a second goal underlined the champions' superiority.

A sliding Hanlon tackle stopped Edouard in his tracks but the striker recovered to roll in Brown and the Celtic captain skipped past a lazy challenge from Slivka to smash the ball home from 15 yards.
Scott Brown and James Forrest are Celtic greats
Work to be done for Lennon – analysis

BBC Scotland's Brian McLauchlin at Easter Road

After Neil Lennon received a warm if slightly muted welcome from the home support, the game was played in a highly charged atmosphere.

The action on the pitch was fairly tame and the fact it took two wonder strikes to win it and there was only one other shot on target is evidence enough that there is plenty of work to be done if the interim manager is to lead Celtic to another treble. However, back-to-back victories in Edinburgh is a solid start to his second spell in charge.

Hibs lacked firepower and although striker Flo Kamberi put in a shift to try and get one over on his old boss the home team rarely threatened. Next up for Paul Heckingbottom is a visit from Rangers on Friday. A similarly lacklustre performance may bring about a similar outcome.