CELTIC may be able to clinch their seventh consecutive Scottish title against Rangers at Parkhead a week tomorrow after crashing to a 2-1 defeat to Hibernian at Easter Road this afternoon.
Brendan Rodgers’s men, 13 points clear at the top of the Ladbrokes Premiership with five games remaining, needed to triumph in Edinburgh to sew up another league success.
However, a first-half Jamie MacLaren goal and a second-half header by substitute Vykintas Slika proved enough to give Neil Lennon’s side a richly-deserved victory and meant their opponents had to put their champagne on ice for at least another eight days.
Odsonne Edouard, who had come on for Leigh Griffiths in the second-half, netted for the Glasgow club with three minutes of regulation time remaining to give his team hope of salvaging a draw but the hosts held on.
It has been widely suggested the SPFL were keen to avoid a scenario where Celtic could secure the league against their fierce city rivals for safety reasons when they had put together the post-split fixtures earlier this month.
But if Aberdeen beat or draw with Kilmarnock at Rugby Park later this afternoon or, failing that, Rangers beat or draw with Hearts at Ibrox tomorrow afternoon the defending champions will have that opportunity.
At the same time, Hibs have boosted their hopes of finishing second in the top flight for the first time since way back in 1975 with this hugely impressive win.
They are now level with both Aberdeen and Rangers on points in the table with four league matches remaining.
On this evidence, the Chamionship champions, who had drawn with Celtic twice and beaten Rangers twice in the 2017/18 campaign before today, have a good chance of doing so.
They dominated from start to finish and were worthy winners.
Dylan McGeough fed Florian Kamberi inside the Celtic box in just the second minute and the striker was only denied the opening goal when Craig Gordon came off his line and blocked the shot.
The visitors responded immediately to that scare and Tom Rogic and Leigh Griffiths forced two fine saves from Ofir Marciano in quick succession at the other end of the park just four minutes later.
But the home team definitely enjoyed the better of the early exchanges and Kieran Tierney was booked for a clumsy challenge on Martin Boyle by referee Steven McLean.
It was no great surprise when Hibs took the lead in the 25th minute after Lewis Stevenson picked out MacLaren with a defence-splitting pass from the left and the Australian side-footed into an inviting empty net.
Lennon’s men could easily have built upon their lead before half-time – Gordon did well to save a Danny Swanson shot and Paul Hanlon headed a John McGinn free-kick narrowly wide.
Rodgers took action at half-time by removing the ineffectual Olivier Ntcham and putting on Scott Sinclair, but Celtic failed to create an opening which they could capitalise on.
Hibs sewed up the three points when Slika, who had come on for scorer MacLaren, nodded a Kamberi cross from the right beyond Gordon and into the Celtic goal.
Edouard netted for Celtic in the 87th minute, but it would have been an injustice if Hibs had been denied.
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