Celtic had to dig deep to come away from Easter Road with all three points, edging past 10-man Hibs in a tense, scrappy affair that keeps them level with Hearts at the top of the table.
The Hoops looked in control for large spells, especially after Jamie McGrath was shown a red card midway through the first half, but they were made to work all the way to the final whistle after a resilient Hibs side refused to fold.
Celtic started on the front foot and created early openings, with Daizen Maeda heavily involved from the outset. Yang Hyun-Jun linked up well in attack before finding Benjamin Nygren inside the box, but Rocky Bushiri was alert to block the effort.
Maeda then went close himself after being picked out by Callum McGregor, only to fire well over when well placed, wasting what looked like a golden chance to open the scoring.
The breakthrough finally came in controversial fashion just before half-time. Alistair Johnston’s delivery caused problems in the box and Maeda was on hand to tap home from close range, though the assistant’s flag initially cut celebrations short for offside. VAR, however, overturned the decision and the goal stood.
Hibs, despite being reduced to ten men after McGrath’s dismissal for a high challenge on Johnston following a VAR review, responded in stubborn fashion.
And just when Celtic looked set to take control into the break, Joe Newell struck against the run of play, reacting quickest in the box to level things up for the hosts.
The equaliser didn’t come without controversy either. Hibs kept the move alive from a set-piece and as the ball worked its way into the area, there were appeals for handball before Newell finished the move. After another VAR check, the goal was allowed to stand.
The Ref’s View podcast, run by former Grade One officials Des Roache and Steve Conroy, later weighed in on the incident, saying: “That’s a handball and the player gained an advantage to score. Goal should be disallowed.”
Despite the setback, Celtic continued to push after the restart but struggled to break down a compact Hibs block, with clear chances becoming harder to come by as the game wore on.
That was until Kelechi Iheanacho made the difference from the bench.
The striker showed composure inside the box, bringing the ball under control before calmly slotting into the corner to restore Celtic’s lead with just 20 minutes remaining.
Hibs still refused to go quietly and came close late on when Ante Šuto found space inside the area, only to slice his effort into the side netting when it looked like the perfect chance to salvage a point.
In the end, Celtic saw the game out professionally enough, even if it wasn’t as comfortable as the numerical advantage might have suggested. Given the stage of the season, though, the focus will be firmly on results rather than performance levels, and this win keeps them firmly in the title race heading into a huge Old Firm clash at Parkhead.
For Hibs, it was another frustrating afternoon defined by discipline issues. David Gray’s side worked tirelessly with ten men, but yet another red card proved costly as they slipped to defeat.
Their push for a top-four finish remains alive but hanging by a thread, with a trip to Falkirk next weekend now carrying serious weight.