BREN GETS OUT A TIGHT SPOT
Idah’s a leader for Rodgers
IT was the signing that had Celtic fans shrugging their shoulders on deadline day.
But Adam Idah may just have justified his loan switch and got his gaffer right off the hook in one fell swoop.
Brendan Rodgers has finally experienced victory at Easter Road at the fifth attempt.
However, it took a couple of penalties from the borrowed Norwich hitman – one in the first 10 minutes and the other with just three to go – to secure victory and restore the Hoops’ three-point lead at the top having played one more game.
Yet there was no sugarcoating another display that should have alarm bells ringing loudly at Parkhead.
It was brutal on Hibs, though. Nick Montgomery looked set for a priceless point to ease some of the heat on him after a 3-0 St Mirren stuffing.
Dylan Levitt’s second-half leveller had Celtic in a proper panic and it took a close look at VAR to spot Joe Newell’s trip on Kyogo Furuhashi to settle it.
Hibs should take some heart. In contrast, Celtic can’t keep living as dangerously as this.
The Hoops needed a smart start and they got one. Talk about an eventful opening – Hibs didn’t touch the ball at all in those frantic first two minutes.
The first sniff they got, they conceded a corner kick. And they barely saw the ball again until David Marshall was forced to scoop it out of his net just 10 minutes in.
The penalty might have been up for debate but, by the letter of the law, ref Nick Walsh wasn’t left with much wriggle room.
Nectarios Triantis missed the ball and accidentally stuck the head on Alistair Johnston instead. It wasn’t intentional but it was arguably dangerous, with the Hoops defender left poleaxed and forced to depart the scene on a stretcher.
Idah was made to wait but the Irish frontman then showed a few of his team-mates how to score from the spot with an emphatic finish. The early goal settled some Celtic nerves and added to the Easter Road jitters.
Montgomery has taken flak for sticking to his favoured 4-4-2 formation but he binned it for the Saints stuffing at the weekend and only had one up top last night, with Martin Boyle back from the Asian Cup in support.
Celtic also had their man from the east back in the side with Daizen Maeda in the line-up just a few days after disappointment with Japan in Qatar.
Seeing countryman Kyogo on the bench was a slight surprise, even though it shouldn’t have been.
The frontman has been forced to feed on scraps at times this term but he’s still had to carry the frontline. A break might not have been a bad idea, especially with Idah desperate to make an impression.
Celts controlled the flow but Hibs still had moments of menace when they put a makeshift Hoops backline under pressure.
Rodgers’ side got away with one midway through the opening half when Jordan Obita’s whipped low cross caused mayhem as the ball broke to Elie Youan.
The attacker looked set to burst the net but Liam Scales got just enough of his body in the way to divert over the top.
It was enough to offer Hibs some encouragement – as did the fact Celtic were not exactly carving them open.
Idah thought he was in
behind, only to get flagged offside, while much of Celts’ possession was in the middle of the pitch and side to side with the final ball not quite up to it any time they did poke a way through.
Callum McGregor sensed the square-ball routine getting stale and the skipper decided to drop deeper to get involved.
It looked like it clicked early in the second half when Matt O’Riley set Maeda loose down the left and he picked out the striker, who thumped the bar with his volley before clocking the flag up once more.
Idah was in again moments later after some slick footwork from loan youngster Paulo Bernardo but Marshall was quick off his line to block.
For all Celts were hogging the ball, defensive vulnerability never seemed far away.
And Hibs sensed it too – as they struck back on the hour. It was a superb setpiece and finish while Celtic played musical statues.
Newell curled the ball over, Will Fish got the header back to the end of the box and Levitt brilliantly steered into the bottom corner of the net.
Sub Myziane Maolida nearly struck again seconds later when his overhead kick was blocked and the Hoops were wobbling again when Boyle burst into the box.
The Socceroo copped a yellow card for looking for a penalty.
Rodgers chucked on Maik Nawrocki to shore up the backline and Liel Abada to spark something at the other end.
It was panic stations for the Parkhead men from a corner after Nawrocki denied Maolida at the near post and the ball ended up pinballing around the box.
Kyogo was lobbed on but he was caught dithering when the ball fell to him in the penalty area.
It was all a bit chaotic with Celts pushing but wide open at the other end.
Rodgers’ Bhoys almost got punished when Lewis Miller charged in at the back post before dragging wide of the target.
But right at the death there was more drama to get Celtic out of jail.