This was Brendan Rodgers’ 100th game in charge of Celtic and 73rd win from that century. It’s easy to forget, given his previous work in Chelsea’s youth system, then managing both Swansea and Liverpool impressively, that he’s still a relatively young manager, who only turned 44 on Friday. Neil Lennon, who Rodgers recommended for the Scotland vacancy before this match between their teams, is two years older.
The Hibernian manager was “flattered” by that reference for the job that Michael O’Neill, yet another Northern Irishman, rejected last week, although did not allow it to distract him from giving his compatriot a tactical test in this match. You can always see that considerable thought goes into Lennon’s line-ups and here he deployed a midfield diamond to make life as uncomfortable as he could for his former club, although the game didn’t come close to the swashbuckling 2-2 draws the sides had served up in their previous league matches in Glasgow and Edinburgh.
Hibs gave a good account of themselves and have lost only two of their 13 away league games this season. The diamond worked well enough, but they failed to create real chances to score, while, at the other end, Leigh Griffiths finally broke his duck against his boyhood heroes. The 148th goal of his senior career was the first he’s scored against them, although Paul Hanlon’s indecision certainly helped him do so. The Hibs captain did not deal with a cross from Kieran Tierney, seemingly caught between clearing it for a corner and cushioning it back to Ofir Marciano, his goalkeeper. In the end, he did neither and Griffiths pounced to score the game’s only goal.
Lennon signed Griffiths for Celtic four years ago this month for less than £1m and now estimates he is worth ten times that amount. He said the striker made the difference in what was otherwise an “eachy-peachy” contest. “The difference between the teams is the £10m striker. He’s tops.”
Five minutes after his goal, however, Griffiths was pounding the turf in frustration before departing with a recurrence of the calf injury that has previously plagued him. Moussa Dembele was summoned as a substitute with a chance to justify the price put on his head by Celtic, which seems to be deterring Premier League suitors, although that may change when things get desperate come Wednesday night in the final hours of the January transfer window.
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Lennon has probably not added to his squad as he would have wished to, particularly with Anthony Stokes, a persistent offender, dropped for disciplinary reasons and perhaps on his way out. Stokes might have taken a first-half chance that Brandon Barker failed to convert when he was denied by Craig Gordon’s right foot.
Celtic spurned a much better opportunity to score when Marciano stopped a Griffiths’ free-kick, but was still getting to his feet as Scott Sinclair sprinted in for what seemed a formality of a finish only to hit the inside of the post rather than the net. Sinclair should also have scored when the ball came his way close to the penalty spot in Hibs’ box at the start of the second half, but his shot was far too straight and Marciano blocked it well.
Besides Griffiths, Celtic also lost Craig Gordon to a serious knee ligament injury and both are likely to miss next month’s Europa League matches against Zenit St Petersburg. The Scotland keeper did not reappear after half-time following a collision with Efe Ambrose. Yet Hibs did not test Dorus de Vries, Gordon’s deputy, often enough, despite enjoying plenty of second-half possession.
John McGinn scored two spectacular goals here back in September, in possibly the best Premiership match this season, and did finally demand a save from De Vries with decent clip from his explosive left foot, while Jamie Maclaren should perhaps have tried a little harder to reach a fine cross from Hanlon, striving to atone for his earlier error, in stoppage time. Tierney cleared the ball to preserve Celtic’s lead and leave Hibs without a league win at Celtic Park for eight years now.
NO PLACE FOR ARTIFICIAL PITCHES, SAYS RODGERS
Brendan Rodgers says there is no place for artificial pitches in Scotland’s top flight ahead of Saturday’s televised visit to Kilmarnock. The Ayrshire club play on a synthetic surface that has drawn criticism for the quality of football that can be played on it. Martin O’Neill, Rodgers’ compatriot and predecessor as Celtic manager, previously expressed a similar view, saying Scottish football would not be taken seriously while played on such surfaces.
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Rodgers agrees ‘100 per cent’ with that and pointed out Kilmarnock previously had one of the best grass pitches in Scotland. They are considering a return to a natural pitch, while Hamilton are another Premiership club with a synthetic pitch.
‘Kilmarnock was one of the best pitches in Scottish football, a very good pitch,’ said Celtic’s manager. ‘I get that, economically, for clubs they might not be able to keep it and can generate more cash by getting community (football) on the surface, but if you want to be taken seriously and the cameras are on your league from all round the world, there’s very few leagues that are watched internationally that you pick up an artificial pitch. I feel for the players.’
Celtic are in the process of creating a new hybrid pitch at their own stadium after Rodgers expressed his displeasure with the quality of the Celtic Park surface a year ago. ‘It’s something that’s ongoing,’ he added. ‘I don’t think we’ll get the pitch we want until the summer.
‘I’ll always talk about trying to drive standards up. I am talking about the bigger game. There’s a cry for Scottish footballers to play better football at a technical level. There’s lot of young Scottish players I see who have to take two touches because they can’t play one-touch, the thing is bobbling up round their knee. You want to see the quality of players maximised, so if a player can play one-touch because the surface is the best it can be, great.’
Celtic hope to sign Charly Musonda, Chelsea’s 21-year-old attacking midfielder, on an 18-month loan before the transfer window closes on Wednesday and may also return with an increased bid for Dundee’s Jack Hendry, after an initial offer for the 22-year-old centre-back was rejected.
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Star man: Darren McGregor (Hibernian)