PULLING POWER
Ajeti’s pain the price of keeping Celts on song and Eddy at club CELTIC.... 3 HIBERNIAN.... 0
ALBIAN AJETI received a pulled hamstring as his prize for firing his way to the top of the Premiership scoring charts.
But, as well as pulling a muscle, he helped pull Celtic back on to the coat-tails of Rangers.
He might also have pulled away any last hope the vultures have of trying to prise Odsonne Edouard out of Parkhead over the next seven days.
Ajeti took the Frenchman’s starting place and gave another shining example of his instinctive finishing ability with a poacher’s strike for his fifth since signing from West Ham.
In adding to Callum McGregor’s sixth-minute opener, the Swiss international’s goal was enough to put Celtic well on their way to dousing the early fires of Hibs and inflicting just a second defeat of the campaign on them.
It was a success capped by his old Basle sidekick Mohamed Elyounoussi’s third.
But, by instantly limping off after netting, Ajeti also gave notice that Lennon can’t really afford to lose any of his big guns in this last week of the transfer window.
Already shorn of crocked James Forrest, Ryan Christie also went off at half-time after hobbling in the wake of setting Ajeti’s goal up.
Leigh Griffiths may have been back into the set-up for a first time in over six months as an unused sub, but, with four competitions to potentially fight in, the manager really needs to keep all his key assets.
This is a huge week for Celtic. The Europa League group stage hopes go on the line against Sarajevo on Thursday, there is a game away at St Johnstone where no ground can be lost in the title race and the window shuts a week tonight.
With the likes of Edouard, Kristoffer Ajer, Christie and Olivier Ntcham having suitors, Lennon needs them staved off.
Good news on and off the park in all of these upcoming events will leave Celtic brilliantly placed for the months ahead.
This was the ideal way for the boss to start the spell. Jack Ross’ troops were dangerous opponents. They had moments in the first half where they showed a threat.
But in the end they were dispatched back along the M8 by clinical finishing and a power- packed second-half show from a home team who moved back to within a point of the summit with a game in hand.
Lennon’s team totally deserved their win. In the first half it may just have been killer instinct which separated the sides but the hosts stormed clear after the restart as they assumed total control.
This turned out to be a brilliant home show, deserving of a full house and it was McGregor who set Celtic on their way.
At the edge of the box Christie dipped a shoulder and thought about having a pop but instead chose to roll the ball across to his colleague.
Hibs had backed off and accepting the invitation Lennon’s vice-captain took a forward touch out of his feet and drilled a 20-yarder low across Ofir Marciano and into the bottom corner of the net.
Hibs roared back. Ross not surprisingly started with the same line-up which had ruffled Rangers, and gave Lennon scares.
Shane Duffy was caught badly at a through-ball as Kevin Nisbet escaped and produced a cutback which Christian Doidge collected and spun to fire a shot which was inches off the target.
Nisbet again shrugged Duffy off to get on the end of Joe Newell’s ball over the home backline after Vasilis Barkas didn’t act as sweeper keeper and the former Dunfermline kid struck over. So did Boyle.
But, with the electric Jeremie Frimpong getting much the better of a one-sided teenage battle with fullback Josh Doig, Celtic were lethal and 2-0 when Ajeti sniffed out an opening nine minutes from the interval.
Christie’s dazzling feet smuggled a ball into Elyounoussi and he had just enough room to toe-poke an effort which Marciano parried out.
Ajeti was on to it in a flash and rifled the rebound into the net.
Unfortunately for the Swiss his hamstring went twang at the same time to cut short his celebrations and see Edouard introduced.
Celtic took flight from there. One brilliant move saw Greg Taylor find Frimpong on the opposite side and the wing-back struck over but they were now in full cry.
With Christie also looking uncomfortable following the second goal and going off, Edouard stayed out at half-time to make sure he stayed loose.
Doig didn’t reappear, presumably sick of the sight of Frimpong and Lewis Stevenson took over.
But it wasn’t anywhere near close after the interval as Celtic cranked it up a notch.
Newell was wasteful with a couple of shooting chances to test Barkas but although the Greek did not have to dirty his gloves, Marciano most certainly did long before Elyounoussi’s clinching goal.
Nir Bitton’s low shot tested his international colleague and others took turns to haul him into action.
Brown took a superb touch inside the penalty box and angled a low effort which forced the Israeli into another save and there was more to be done when David Turnbull, who had taken over from Christie, fired a swerving shot from 20 yards.
Turnbull settled into the game with ease. He was terrific during his second-half cameo, showing all of the poise which prompted Lennon to spend £3million on him.
He almost got Edouard away with an audacious lobbed pass before he did find a delightful through-ball to Elyounoussi for the third.
Ironically Duffy had made a brilliant block just moments earlier to thwart Nisbet.
When Celtic stormed downfield, Edouard’s attempted pass fell to Turnbull and he set up the Norwegian for his second goal in four days.
It was a perfect finale and set Lennon up perfectly for his big week.