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 unbeaten, but having required an equaliser with ten minutes remaining to salvage an identical score in the return match between these teams at Celtic Park last September, and an 89th-minute penalty equaliser against Motherwell last month, all that allowed Celtic to depart Easter Road yesterday with their record unscathed was the width of one of Mikael Lustig’s football boots.
Oli Shaw, a late substitute who had already climbed off the bench to score his second goal for the club (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 net-bound until the Swede hacked it off the line.
Read more: 'Contest between Scott Brown and John McGinn? 'There was no contest', says Brendan Rodgers
Defeat would have been harsh on a Celtic side who could have been well clear by then and still had time to seal 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.
All in all, with such drama and excitement warming the cockles on a day when the temperature in Leith never got above freezing, this was a match worthy of inclusion in anybody’s Super Sunday.
On the pitch, things were warming up nicely. John McGinn had spoken in the Sunday papers about hoping to turn the tables on ‘bully’ Scott Brown, and he was true to his word as the two fought out the latest stage of an arresting personal duel which has lasted from McGinn’s days at St Mirren.
While it took a last-ditch challenge from the backtracking Lewis Stevenson to prevent Callum McGregor getting a clear run on goal, only an outstretched leg from Dedryck Boyata stopped Martin Boyle getting a shot away after McGinn had shimmied away from Brown in the centre circle.
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 when Rodgers went with Odsonne Edouard up front, with both Moussa Dembele and former Hibs hero Leigh Griffiths left cooling their heels on the bench.
Read more: 'Contest between Scott Brown and John McGinn? 'There was no contest', says Brendan Rodgers
The young Frenchman can’t have experienced conditions as cold as this too often but he did fine as Celtic hoarded more possession and just about shaded an intriguing first half.
Their clearest chance of the half came when Dylan McGeouch blotted his copybook with a pass across his own 18 yard box which only found James Forrest.
The Scotland winger, in exceptional goalscoring form, somehow tugged his finish past the post.
Scott Sinclair and Mikael Lustig also both scuffed finishes after neat passing moves but Craig Gordon was hardly a bystander either. The 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 yesterday felt he was at risk of the dreaded half-time hook. Rodgers left him on the park and got the desired results. First he put on the after burners on to get away from Steven Whittaker, winning the compliments of referee John Beaton for staying on his feet to fire in a shot which Marciano saved well.
But the Englishman’s luck turned just on the hour mark, when he was positive enough to fire a shot at goal which ricocheted into the path of Edouard. The young Frenchman’s low shot struck the inside of Marciano’s left-hand post and Sinclair was waiting to greedily gobble up the opening.
Read more: 'Contest between Scott Brown and John McGinn? 'There was no contest', says Brendan Rodgers
Suddenly confidence was coursing through Sinclair – and his team-mates. Soon, after good work from Dedryck Boyata and Callum McGregor, he was cutting in onto his right foot, and firing in a shot which deflected off Marvin Bartley before dropping in the corner. Only an offside flag, and then another fine Marciano save, deprived the rampant winger his hat-trick while the score stayed 2-0.
A corner routine gave Hibs an unlikely lifeline, McGinn cleverly making space before finding Steven Whittaker with a cutback and the ball eventually being forced over the line by Efe Ambrose, with the aid of a handy deflection of Lustig.
Substitute Shaw’s equaliser came as he spun away from Simunovic after inspired work by Anthony Stokes and Lewis Stevenson. Hibs felt Dedryck 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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