Revealed: The incredible Celtic defensive stat which Hibs ended

There were only 46 seconds on the clock when Vykintas Slivka steered his shot past Craig Gordon to put Hibs ahead against Celtic at Easter Road.
Vykintas Slivka puts Hibs ahead against Celtic. Picture: SNS/Craig FoyVykintas Slivka puts Hibs ahead against Celtic. Picture: SNS/Craig Foy
Vykintas Slivka puts Hibs ahead against Celtic. Picture: SNS/Craig Foy

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Not only did it set up the Easter Road side for a deserved 2-0 victory which helped close the gap to the top six, but it ended Celtic’s long run without conceding a first-half goal in domestic fixtures.

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Going into the game, Sky Sports displayed a graphic which showed that Brendan Rodgers’ men were the only team in the top four Scottish and English leagues to have not let in a goal before the interval this season.

The record actually stretches back to a previous trip to Edinburgh towards the end of last season. Slivka’s strike was Celtic’s first concession in the first 45 minutes since Kyle Lafferty struck for Hearts as the champions sauntered to a 3-1 win at Tynecastle.

The run lasted 22 games and to around 1,000 minutes of football.

In that time Celtic conceded just ten times, and only twice did they let in more than one goal with Kilmarnock and Hibs both scoring twice.