MURPHY MAKES HIS MARK
Laxalt’s late show rescues Celtic but loan Ranger nets to hurt title hopes
JAMIE MURPHY will never kick another ball for Rangers but he delivered two key touches that might go a long way to delivering his parent club the Premiership title.
The on-loan winger scored one and set up another to give Hibs a two-goal lead over Celtic. The champions showed some mettle to claw back a point but this represented further lost ground for Neil Lennon and his embattled side.
Should Rangers win against Aberdeen today, the gap at the top of the league will extend to 11 points, a worrying margin for Lennon even if his team will hold two games in hand.
Despite the Covid fall-out from another international break, Lennon was able to field exactly the same starting XI that played with such purpose in the team’s last league outing at Motherwell.
That meant Albian Ajeti starting ahead of Odsonne Edouard in attack, despite the Frenchman hitting some form with his latest two goals for his country’s Under-21 side.
Unable to reproduce the the same fast, intense performance that saw them prevail at Fir Park, Celtic hit their stride in the last half hour when Edouard, on as a substitute, started to find his groove.
Their struggle perhaps shouldn’t have been too much of a surprise as Celtic have not actually won a league game at Easter Road since Lennon managed the Leith club to promotion in 2017.
After a fine start to the campaign, Jack Ross was looking to latch on to some form and with Christian Doidge injured he decided to abandon his favoured ploy of starting with two strikers.
Nisbet got the nod and nearly got the match off to a scoring start but not in the way he would have imagined or intended, his grazing defensive header from Ryan Christie’s free-kick beating Ofir Marciano but drifting just wide of the post.
That piece of goalmouth action was a false dawn for what was to follow for the remainder of a dreary opening half.
Celtic’s application was good as Kris Ajer, Scott Brown and Jeremie Frimpong all made important interceptions but a creative spark was for the most part missing.
Christie looked the best bet for an away goal but found Marciano in exactly the kind of form that kept him and his Scotland team-mates out in the midweek defeat to Israel.
The keeper made two important saves before half-time, on each occasion diving to his left to claw away a Christie shot.
The pattern continued after half-time but the keeper’s heroics were interrupted by two big moments at the other end of the pitch.
First, Hibs were awarded a penalty by referee Bobby Madden. There was certainly little need for Scott Brown to make contact with Martin Boyle as he scampered towards the byeline but his challenge, a barge in the referee’s eyes, sent the winger to the ground.
Nisbet’s last spot-kick rattled the Hampden goalframe in the Scottish Cup defeat to Hearts but there was a happier ending this time as Murphy followed up to angle a finish in off the far post.
Signed on an initial loan that will be converted into a permanent deal next summer, the 31-yearold’s inbox was bulging as he returned to the dressing room.
‘I’ve had one or two texts already from the Rangers boys,’ said Murphy. ‘But that doesn’t come into my thinking now.
‘I’m a Hibs player, I’m going to be here next year and I’m looking forward to signing on permanently. It’s all about Hibs for me now, getting goals and assists.
‘I was delighted with the goal. Sometimes you have to gamble on a penalty and I was ready to tap in the rebound.
‘I swung the left foot at it and it managed to get in. It was my first goal for Hibs at Easter Road in a big game, so hopefully there’s a few more to come.’
Nisbet showed his strength of character by slamming home the second goal.
The finish, delivered after Murphy had out-jumped Frimpong to knock down, was almost identical, another left-foot drill that found the net via the upright.
For Bain there was clear annoyance — first that no one had reacted quick enough to close down Murphy after his save, nor that anyone tracked Nisbet’s run off the flick-on.
‘It was frustrating because we do all the work on penalties and what’s going to happen,’ he reflected. ‘I think we need to be better all round the pitch at helping your mate out a little bit more.
‘We’ve had two split seconds where we’ve switched off and we’ve been punished for it. But the thing was we showed great belief and great character to fight back and that’s what this team does.’
In between goals, Lennon had sent on Edouard for the ineffective Ajeti and the 22-year-old at least added some life at the top end of the pitch.
Finding a route past Marciano was another matter. Having manipulated space for his first proper sight of goal Edouard opted for power but the keeper threw up a strong arm to keep the ball out.
Edouard has looked out of sorts for most of the season but he claimed his first Premiership goal since September 12 when he also netted a penalty in a win at Ross County.
The spot-kick was given against Paul McGinn who, under the attentions of Diego Laxalt, was adjudged to have handled.
After a brief delay in which home skipper Paul Hanlon was booked, Edouard thumped the ball home.
Marciano’s resistance wasn’t over.
Callum McGregor, Christie and Tom Rogic each struck efforts on target but the Easter Road keeper was equal to all.
In stoppage-time, Celtic salvaged their point. Thrown on as a substitute precisely to cause setpiece havoc, Shane Duffy drew a crowd of defenders in the six-yard box as he climbed to meet Christie’s cross.
The ball ricocheted instead to Laxalt. The Uruguayan took a touch and then arrowed an equaliser high into the net.
Bain knows there will be those already writing off Celtic’s chances of clinching a tenth straight title win but he fired off a simple message.
‘This team is capable of going on a run,’ he said. ‘In the coming months, when it really matters, this squad goes from strength to strength and really pushes on.
‘I’m sure there will be those who write us off, but they will be silly to do that.’