Hibs v Celtic: Four things we learned


Celtic won their first league game at Easter Road since 2014 tonight. A frantic first half hour saw the Hoops go three goals in front courtesy of Anthony Ralston, Cameron Carter-Vickers and Kyogo Furuhashi. The Bhoys would go on to concede eight minutes from the break but remained resolute throughout the second half in order to secure all three points. Rather than my customary player ratings, I’ll be looking at four things we learned from the match from a Celtic point of view. Let’s begin. 

David Turnbull is Celtic’s go-to man for set pieces 

In past seasons, scoring from set pieces was an issue for Celtic. However, since the arrival of David Turnbull, the Hoops have scored a plethora of goals from corners and free kicks alike. This was the case tonight against Hibs when David Turnbull set up Anthony Ralston and Cameron Carter-Vickers respectively. The Scot was unfortunate not to get on the scoresheet himself however his architectural set piece ability matched with his creativity is a huge plus. 


Kyogo Furuhashi is best utilised through the middle 

Kyogo Furuhashi was moved out wide against St. Johnstone on Saturday to allow Giorgos Giakoumakis to take up the number nine role. However, it is fair to say the Japanese had a relatively quiet game despite winning a penalty. This evening though, Kyogo was lively as ever and played his part in Celtic’s victory by being in the right place at the right to time to put the Hoops’ three goals in front on the half hour mark. The twenty six year old is now into double figures for Celtic and I’m certain he will add to that throughout the remainder of the current campaign. 


Anthony Ralston is nothing but reliable 

Celtic right back Anthony Ralston played ninety minutes for the twentieth time in a row at Easter Road on Wednesday evening. The Scot also added to his goal tally to make it four for the season in all competitions. It says a lot that Croatian International Josip Juranovic has to settle for a place at left back meanwhile Anthony Ralston holds down the right back spot. The Scot will surely be in Steve Clarke’s thoughts for the upcoming International break as a result of his renaissance this season. 


Joe Hart continues to make big saves 

Celtic have eventually found a man they can rely on between the sticks. Joe Hart made two crucial saves tonight which some may argue a keeper like Scott Bain or Vasilis Barkas may have failed to. In particular when Celtic were one nil up, the Englishman was called into action to deny Joe Newell from close range. In addition, Hart remained dependable in the second half when Celtic were very much under the cosh. 


Celtic now sit second in the Scottish Premiership, two points behind league leaders Rangers. The Bhoys will now face Livingston on Saturday at Celtic Park where a win will see them go top of the league, for Saturday night, at least. 


Thank you for reading this article. If you have any thoughts or opinions, leave a comment below. Also, don’t forget to follow me on Twitter @Josh_Footblog. 

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