MX23RW : Saturday, October 20 16:45:01
Oct 20, 2018 at 3pm UK at ​Celtic Park (Glasgow)
Celtic
2-0
Hibernian
Rogic (8'), Ntcham (19')
HT
Timeline
2'     S. Brown
D. McGregor        5'
8'     T. Rogic (J. Forrest)
19'     O. Ntcham
21'     S. Sinclair (S. Brown)

Result: Celtic see off Hibernian in six-goal thriller

Result: Celtic see off Hibernian in six-goal thriller
© Reuters
The 4-2 win lifts the defending champions up to second in the Ladbrokes Premiership.

Celtic moved into second place in the Ladbrokes Premiership with a frenetic 4-2 win over Hibernian  at Parkhead.

Former Hoops boss Neil Lennon’s side were picked off in the first half, where midfielders Tom Rogic and Olivier Ntcham both grabbed goals with the champions hitting the woodwork three times.

Hibs striker Florian Kamberi reduced the deficit in the 63rd minute with a thunderous drive, only for Hoops forward Odsonne Edouard to restore the two-goal advantage six minutes later.

Speedy wide-man Martin Boyle then made it 3-2 in the 73rd minute  but Edouard’s second goal in the 87th minute kept Celtic three points behind leaders Hearts, who beat Aberdeen 2-1 at Tynecastle.

It was an exhausting afternoon in the east end of Glasgow.

Celtic skipper Scott Brown, back from a hamstring complaint and in the side at the expense of striker Leigh Griffiths who was ill, was booked in the second minute for a foul on midfielder Emerson Hyndman at the edge of the box, but Stephen Mallan’s curling free-kick slipped just past keeper Craig Gordon’s right-hand post.

The home side came back and Callum McGregor’s cross found Edouard but his angled drive on the slide clipped the outside of the post.

Hibs defender Darren McGregor, back for the first time since August after recovering from a knee injury,  was then booked for a foul on James Forrest and Callum McGregor’s whipped-in free-kick almost caught out keeper Adam Bogdan before hitting the bar on the  way over.

Celtic’s first goal came after eight minutes when Rogic played a one-two with Forrest outside the Hibs box and glided left before bending the ball  into the corner of the net past the flailing Bogdan.

As the play raced from end to end the Easter Road keeper produced a fine save from Ntcham’s powerful 25-yard drive, but in the 19th minute the French midfielder took a perfectly-weighted Rogic pass and from 16 yards he guided the ball low into the corner.

Moments later, Brown limped off to be replaced by winger Scott Sinclair with Callum McGregor seamlessly dropping into midfield.

In the 31st minute Celtic came close to adding a third.

Bogdan did well to parry a drive from Edouard after he had been played in by Ntcham, and after Sinclair crashed the loose ball off the post, Forest fired the rebound wide from 12 yards.

Three minutes from the break Gordon was required to make a decent save from Mallan’s long-distance thunderbolt, then made a brilliant stop to deny Boyle’s header from an Efe Ambrose cross.

Soon after the restart Bogdan had to race from his line to thwart Sinclair, but just after the hour mark the Edinburgh side were back in the game.

Midfielder Daryl Horgan drove at the Hoops box before moving the ball left to Kamberi and the Swiss attacker made a yard of space before firing high across Gordon and into the far corner of the net.

A long-run by Edouard, where he fended off ex-Celt Efe Ambrose, ended with him curling a shot off the post but moments later he was in the right place to take Forrest’s cut-back and side-foot in Celtic’s third goal.

It was breathless stuff, and when Boyle raced through the middle of the Parkhead defence to cleverly dink the ball over Gordon it was game on again.

In the final minutes Bogdan foiled Ntcham, but with three minutes remaining, and play stretched, Callum McGregor set up Edouard, who knocked the ball in from 12 yards to settle matters, with the post denying him his hat-trick in added time.

Share this article now:

Loading ...

Failed to load data.

Loading ...

Failed to load data.

Select and display your favourite team's news and scores in this panel

Loading ...

Failed to load data.

Loading ...

Failed to load data.

Select and display your favourite team's news and scores in this panel
Premier League
Championship
Scottish Premiership
La Liga
Bundesliga
Serie A
Ligue 1
League One
League Two
Eredivisie
Belgian Pro League
Russian Premier League
Brasileiro
Scottish Championship
Scottish League One
Welsh Premier League
NIFL Premiership
Argentine Primera Division
Liga MX
Uruguayan Primera Division
Chinese Super League
Segunda Division
2.Bundesliga
Serie B
Ligue 2
Greek Superleague
Norwegian Eliteserien
Swedish Allsvenskan
Swiss Super League
Turkish Super Lig
Ukrainian Premier League
Australian A-League
Tables
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Hearts9621145920
2Celtic96121541119
3Livingston9531105518
4Hibernian94321881015
5RangersRangers84221881014
6Kilmarnock9423107314
7Aberdeen933399012
8St Johnstone9243616-1010
9St Mirren9225516-118
10Motherwell9144711-47
11Hamilton AcademicalHamilton8215614-87
12Dundee9018318-151

Subscribe to our Newsletter


Transfer Talk Daily
Match previews - twice weekly
Morning Briefing (7am UTC)
Ultra close-up image of Kevin De Bruyne [NOT FOR USE IN ARTICLES]Get the latest transfer news, match previews and news direct to your inbox!

Loading ...

Failed to load data.

Loading ...

Failed to load data.

Select and display your favourite team's news and scores in this panel
Login, I already have my ad-free pass
Log in to customise Sports Mole
Buy ad-free access (show me the options)
Buy monthly ad-free access for £1.20/month
Buy yearly ad-free access for £12 (2 months free)
Settings - Logout - Manage your account
Settings - Logout - Manage your account