Celtic 4 - 2 Hibernian: Celtic shake off some Hibee-jeebies

Celtic 4

McManus 32; Sheridan 36; Loovens 76; Brown 82

Hibernian 2

Nish 41; Fletcher 50

EVENTS in the east end of Glasgow yesterday were supposed to follow one of two plotlines. The first scenario was that Celtic, who had lost only one of the 32 games they had played post-Champions League activity, would regain their poise following their belittling by Manchester United and do to Hibernian what was done to them in midweek. The second was that Derek Riordan would return to the club that condemned him to two "wasted years" and make them pay for the failure to recognise the worth of his striking talents.

No-one predicted the narrative that unfolded wherein the teams served up a hugely enjoyable goalfest without Riordan figuring among six scorers; the player who showed the prowess that attracted Celtic to buy him from the Easter Road side was Scott Brown and the visitors allowed Celtic a two-goals start then gave them an attack of the Hibee-jeebies by drawing level… only for the home team to prevail with two strikes in the last 15 minutes that ensured they retain a three-point lead at the top of the Scottish Premier League. In truth, Gordon Strachan's side betrayed the sort of shortcomings that the best of Europe will always ruthlessly exploit, and Hibs in turn the defensive frailties that will allow them to entertain in Glasgow but only rarely have anything to show for their efforts. All of which added up to a marvellous, undulating afternoon's entertainment.

Indeed, Mixu Paatelainen's men surrendered the initiative cheaply after Steven Fletcher had finished off a sweeping three-man move to make it 2-2 four minutes into the second period. Substitute Glen Loovens rose unchallenged to head in a corner from Shaun Maloney to regain Celtic the lead in 75 minutes. Thereafter, Hibs could not trouble their hosts and Brown's crashing pinpoint effort following a one-two with Scott McDonald at the edge of the area was the pick of the goals from the pick of the players.

In this season of the rotation policy for Strachan, it was inevitable some players would be omitted/rested/dropped following the club's Old Trafford dismantling. It was almost as inevitable that Aiden McGeady would be one of those consigned to the bench, and Shunsuke Nakamura would not. Neither was it any surprise Barry Robson and Andreas Hinkel took over from fragile full-backs Lee Naylor and Mark Wilson.

The Celtic manager likes to give the impression he has been fluid and fair with all the comings and goings in his side. As has been remarked upon, however, some players are more rotated than others. Nakamura has only been left out of the two league games that have followed draining trips back from international duty on the other side of the world. McGeady, on the other hand, has failed to win a place in the starting XI in almost half the club's SPL encounters this season. An acute contrast in the treatment of two players who have both performed in only fits and starts.

With a return to a two-man strikeforce, the most intriguing deviation from the Celtic team from Tuesday was the product of elevation rather than rotation. Cillian Sheridan didn't look any more out of place than anyone else in Celtic colours as a late substitute in Manchester. Owing to the injuries depriving Strachan of Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink, Georgios Samaras and Chris Killen, the 19-year-old Irishman also happens to be the only fit forward available to his manager with physical presence. Which is not inconsiderable, with Sheridan a real lump of a lad.

There will always be a role for that sort in Strachan's set-up. In the Hibs team, meanwhile, was the player who there never appeared a place for. The hype surrounding Riordan's return to Celtic Park was as overblown as the claims he should have been given more opportunities during his two years at the club. If McGeady, a patently more gifted player than the Hibs forward once his team-mate, is struggling to nail down a position, it should be little wonder it didn't work out for Riordan.

The maverick and, yes, fantastic finisher needs a team to be configured to suit him in order to thrive. Paatelainen appears prepared to do that. Indulging Riordan by playing him alongside two other strikers in Steven Fletcher and Colin Nish leaves Hibs light in midfield, as was exposed in the derby draw last week. That, though, can be balanced out by the potency it brings to their attacking efforts. It certainly was as they gave Celtic a real examination.

Both teams' determination to play open football and pick passes at pace in the face of driving rain undermining such an approach was admirable. Celtic finding themselves two goals up inside 36 minutes was curious given that Hibs' movement seemed more measured and menacing in the early stages.

Artur Boruc had to develop a telescopic arm to dig out a sweetly-struck Riordan shot just inside his left post and Nish was in the clear only to stumble over the ball before Celtic contrived a scoring opportunity. And the one that gave them a 32nd minute lead was more about sclaffs than craft. For a complete mis-hit of a Nakamura corner resulted in the ball finding its way to Stephen McManus via a dreadful clearance from Lewis Stevenson, mishaps that allowed the Celtic captain to show neat skill by hooking the ball in from six yards.

Four minutes later, and it was Sheridan's turn to show a delicate touch for a big fella, and in the process fully justify his selection. McManus launched a ball from deep in his own half, McDonald dummied it and Sheridan showed good awareness and feet to run on, drag it round Yves Ma-Kalambay and tuck it into the empty net from an angle. Hibs' 41st minute response came through Fletcher cutting in from the right and producing an almighty hit that took a sufficiently pronounced deflection off Nish to wrong-foot Boruc.

The Leith club looked good for a point when Fletcher slammed in at the back post after the home side were prized wide open, but Celtic regrouped impressively. And, after Maloney had a reasonable penalty claim rejected and McDonald was incredibly fortunate to be only booked for a late and wild lunge on David van Zanten, they exhibited impressive resilience. "Champions League, yer having a laugh," mocked Hibs fans at 2-2 "SPL, yer having a laugh," retorted the home support at 4-2. Said it all, really.

MAN OF THE MATCH

The blossoming of Scott Brown continues apace with the midfielder producing the sort of thrusting, galvanising buzz-bomb midfield display that brought him renown at Easter Road. His goal, the second in two league games, only illustrated his burgeoning confidence, which showed when he had another shot on target, this time blocked, three minutes after he scored.

QUICK FACT

Hibs have won only one of their past 28 league games against Celtic in Glasgow.

TALKING POINT

Hibs defending, especially from set-pieces, would have been punished by any mid-ranking SPL side, never mind the four-in-a-row-chasing Scottish champions.