Hibernian vs Celtic. Scottish Premiership.
Easter RoadAttendance18,548.
Match report as Celtic are held to a goalless draw against Hibernian; Hoops midfielder James Forrest hit the crossbar late on; Brendan Rodgers' side are now five points clear of Rangers after they beat Hearts on Sunday; Hibs are eighth but without a win in their last four league games
Monday 30 October 2023 09:49, UK
Brendan Rodgers' wait for a win at Easter Road continues after his Celtic side were held to a goalless draw by Hibs.
The Hoops had the chance to move 10 points clear at the top of the Scottish Premiership but struggled after their midweek Champions League efforts against Atletico Madrid.
Both sides passed up early chances - Hibs goalkeeper David Marshall denied Daizen Maeda and Callum McGregor, while Hibs striker Martin Boyle sent an effort over the crossbar.
James Forrest saw his volley crash off the bar late on as Celtic had to settle for a share of the spoils, with Rangers now five points behind after a dramatic win over Hearts on Sunday.
Hibs, who are now without a win in their last four league games, are eighth in the top-flight.
Celtic dominated possession early on but it was sloppy passing from Hibs that led to their first two half-chances. Paulo Bernardo shot just wide from 22 yards before Marshall denied McGregor and Luis Palma hit the rebound wide.
Anthony Ralston replaced Alistair Johnston after the Celtic right-back took a Rocky Bushiri clearance flush in the face.
Ralston and fellow full-back Greg Taylor were taking up positions in the middle of the park but Celtic were struggling to break Hibs down.
The only time they got in behind in the first half saw Taylor's low cross reach Bernardo, who could not get the ball out of his feet but forced it away from Marshall only for the goalkeeper to recover brilliantly to block from Maeda.
Hibernian's only moments of note in the first half saw Elie Youan shoot straight at Joe Hart after starting a counter-attack himself and Dylan Vente fire over following a set-piece.
The hosts' best chance came just after the interval when Jordan Obita curled in a perfect cross for Boyle, but the forward could not keep his volley down from six yards.
Rodgers brought on four attacking substitutions before the midway point of the second half as Mikey Johnston made his first appearance for the club since March 2022, after spending last season on loan with Vitoria Guimaraes in Portugal.
The subs made their mark as Celtic began to pin their hosts back. Hyeon-Gyu Oh had a difficult header saved before Marshall threw himself to his right to parry Johnston's long-range strike.
Good play from Johnston saw David Turnbull try to set up Oh but his low cross was turned behind before Forrest volleyed against the bar from the resulting corner.
The final chance saw Forrest turn Turnbull's low cross past the near post in stoppage time.
Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers spoke to Sky Sports at full-time:
"The first 60 minutes was too slow from our perspective and when we made the changes it brought energy to our game.
"We didn't do enough today to win the game.
"We've played with speed and tempo before after European games so if you're doing it in the last 15 or 20 minutes then you can do it in the first 25 minutes.
"The players gave everything, we just weren't intense enough.
"I'll judge the team after 10 games, in which we've won eight and drawn two and we've been to virtually every tough ground in this division.
"The players are collating points and performing well, today we just weren't at our best.
"I think he [Alistair Johnston] is ok, he was obviously a bit shaken by the ball coming at him really fast."
Hibs manager Nick Montgomery speaking to Sky Sports:
"Immensely proud of the players, I thought it was a big effort as you're talking about a team that just went toe to toe with Atletico Madrid.
"I thought today we defended how I want us to defend, we created a couple of good chances and we limited them to four shots on goal.
"They then changed half the team with six quality players off and six quality players on and they keep the intensity. At that point we really had to stand strong and I thought we did."
Hibernian are at home to Ross County in their next Scottish Premiership match on Tuesday night, kick-off 7.45pm.
Celtic host St Mirren on Wednesday night, kick-off 7.45pm.
