Missed chances cost Hibs in Celtic loss - report and ratings as Gray's men return to foot of table

Odd game, football. Ask the Hibs fans who saw their team drop back to the foot of the Scottish Premiership table courtesy of a 3-0 loss to Celtic.

David Gray’s men did a lot of things very well. But no team can go to Celtic Park, miss TWO one-on-ones, plus a couple of other decent chances, and still expect to get anything from the champions.

An Arne Engels tap-in after just five minutes and Joe Newell own goal nine minutes into the second half effectively put this game beyond the visitors, before Kyogo Furuhashi’s late third skewed the scoreboard somewhat, But, if the final tally did not reflect the balance of plan on a day when Myko Kuharevich squandered two absolute sitters and Newell himself passed up a glorious opportunity, well, nobody ever said you get what you deserve in football.

It had all started so promisingly for Hibs, too, in an opening four minutes that saw the visitors test Kasper Schmeichel with three efforts on goal. The best chance of the lot was probably the first, with just a minute and 10 seconds on the clock, Kuharevich forcing a leg save from his one-on-one after beating the offside trap bang on the halfway line - and racing clear of the trailing defenders before pulling the trigger.

Nicky Cadden saw a thumping left-footed volley spilled by Schmeichel just moments later, Celtic struggling to clear the danger from second and third phases of a Hibs corner. And Elie Youan provided the Danish keeper with a much more comfortable opportunity to show his handling skills with four minutes on the clock, cutting inside from the right but not really catching his low effort on goal.

So far, so good. So it was inevitable, of course, that Celtic would take the lead. From the moment Nicolas Kuhn sent Alistair Johnston on the overlap, Hibs were in trouble. The Canadian’s low cross found two team-mates waiting to score, Engels credited with the final touch from all of six yards.

Hibs continued to impress in possession even after going a goal down, with Joe Newell holding head in hands after skying a Lewis Miller cross at the end of a quite remarkable passing sequence. Few teams have played through the Celtic press so effectively.

It looked as if they’d be rewarded when Kuharevich again beat Celtic’s high line after 22 minutes. But a heavy touch and unconvincing finish was his last contribution, the Ukrainian lasting just a few more minutes of limping action before being replaced by Josh Campbell.

Celtic obviously continued to carry a threat. Jordan Smith made two excellent saves in first-half injury time, denying both Adam Idah and Engels.

The visitors also had to withstand a home onslaught at the start of the second half, Smith looking sharp to deny both Engels and Liam Scales in the opening minutes. And the dam eventually broke with 54 minutes on the clock.

An in-swinging corner from the right was flicked on by Idah. And, although Newell would love to say that the ball was already on its way in, the truth is it hit him flush and flew into the roof of the net. An OG in anybody’s books.

Hibs rallied at 2-0 down, with Youan, Cadden, Nectar Triantis and Lewis Miller – with a thumping head from a corner – all testing Schmeichel, without finding a way past the Celtic No. 1. But they couldn’t find a way through the defences of the league leaders, who added a third through Kyogo with just minutes of regulation time remaining. Leaving Hibs feeling like they’d passed up a decent chance to bag a positive result at Celtic Park.