CELTIC sailed through their maiden campaign of domestic play under Brendan Rodgers but this second season must be their year of living dangerously. This breathless draw on the frozen tundra of Easter Road was their 68th domestic match unbeaten.
However, having required an equaliser with 10 minutes remaining to salvage an identical scoreline in their last match against Hibernian last September, and an 89th minute penalty equaliser against Motherwell last month, all that allowed Celtic to depart the capital yesterday with their record unscathed was the width of one of Mikael Lustig’s boots.
Oli Shaw, a late substitute who had already scored his second Hibs goal (his first was also against Celtic, in the BetFred Cup semi-final) profited from some confusion between Craig Gordon and Jozo Simunovic under a high Efe Ambrose cross in injury time and his low finish was netbound until the Swede hacked it off the line.
Defeat would have been harsh on a Celtic side who could have been well clear by then and could have sealed the win themselves had Scott Sinclair not blazed over when presented with a chance to complete his hat-trick with virtually the last kick of the game.
John McGinn had spoken in the Sunday papers about hoping to turn the tables on “bully” Scott Brown, and the Hibs midfielder was true to his word as the two fought out the latest stage of an arresting personal duel which began during McGinn’s days at St Mirren.
While Hibs were along familiar lines – Anthony Stokes was preferred to Simon Murray up front – there were perhaps a few eyebrows raised among an away support who staged a pro-Palestine, anti-Donald Trump protest pre-match. Brendan Rodgers went with Odsonne Edouard up front while Moussa Dembele and former Hibs hero Leigh Griffiths were left cooling their heels on the bench. The young Frenchman can’t have experienced conditions as cold as this too often but he did fine as Celtic, clad in raspberry-coloured jerseys more redolent of Hibs’ city rivals Hearts, hoarded more possession and just about shaded an intriguing first half.
Their clearest chance came when Dylan McGeouch blotted his copybook with a pass across his own 18-yard box which only found James Forrest. The winger, who has been in exceptional goalscoring form, somehow tugged his finish wide.
Scott Sinclair and Lustig also scuffed finishes after neat passing moves but Craig Gordon was hardly a bystander either. The Celtic goalkeeper defied Martin Boyle, freshly in possession of a contract to 2021, after he had got into space behind Kieran Tierney.
Sinclair has often cut a frustrated figure this season and some felt yesterday that he was at risk of the dreaded half-time hook. Rodgers left him on the park and got the desired results. First, Sinclair put on the afterburner to get away from Steven Whittaker and fire in a shot which Ofir Marciano saved well. But the Englishman’s luck turned on the hour mark, when he was positive enough to fire a shot at goal which ricocheted into the path of Edouard. He struck the inside of Marciano’s left-hand post and Sinclair was waiting to gobble up the opening.
Suddenly, confidence was coursing through Sinclair and his team-mates. Soon, after good work from Dedryck Boyata and Callum McGregor, he cut in on to his right foot and fired in a shot which deflected off Marvin Bartley before dropping in the corner. Only an offside flag, and then another fine Marciano save, denied Sinclair his hat-trick. A corner gave Hibs an unlikely lifeline, McGinn cleverly made space before finding Whittaker with a cutback and the ball was eventually forced over the line by Efe Ambrose, with the aid of a deflection off Lustig.
Shaw’s equaliser came when he spun away from Simunovic after inspired work by Anthony Stokes and Lewis Stevenson. Hibs felt Boyata should have been dismissed for a second booking for a trip on Dylan McGeouch, but either team could have won it in those frantic closing stages.
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