Celtic will enter next week’s Glasgow ‘showcase’ derby on a 12-game Scottish Premiership winning streak after beating Hibernian at Easter Road.
Aaron Mooy scored his first Celtic goals either side of Daizen Maeda’s marvelous strike, before Kyogo Furuhashi capped off a thoroughly dominating performance.
Ange Postecoglou’s side remain nine points clear of rivals Rangers, who they visit on Monday in a potentially crucial second derby of the season.
“We know it’s an important game,” he told BBC Scotland. “An important game for our fans and our league.
“It’s a display game. They are second and we are first. There are all those elements, but I can assure you that we put in the same preparation for every game and we will be ready for that.
“It’s always tough, but these are the games you want to be in and we’re going there in decent form.”
After a few narrow wins on their return from the World Cup break, Postecoglou calmly laid down the gauntlet for his players after the win over Livingston, citing his frustration with their play in the final third.
But after beating St Johnstone four times over the weekend, they raised their game again at Easter Road after a quick opener 10 minutes from Hibs.
Mooy fired a low shot past David Marshall after Maeda’s cross was deflected into his path, and the Japanese winger missed an easy header before responding immediately with a superb strike from 20 yards out.
That summed up Celtic’s relentlessness, and Greg Taylor’s wonderful defensive pass freed Maeda again just before the hour mark, and when Abada connected with his cross the ball flew out of the hand of Lewis Stevenson of the Hibs.
Mooy calmly netted the penalty for his second goal, and eight minutes later Reo Hatate – playing out of position at right-back – picked off Kyogo with a defensive pass.
The league’s top scorer stayed calm to take the ball inside Rocky Bushiri before finding the bottom corner for his 14th goal of the season.
Hibs started fast and saw Chris Cadden’s second-minute goal ruled out for offside, as well as Paul Hanlon’s effort down the post at 2-0, but they couldn’t sustain any challenge as Celtic overwhelmed them for the second time this season.
Player of the match – Daizen Maeda
Implacable Celtic puts down the gauntlet – analysis
Celtic’s slow start to the resumption of the season – by their own standards – offered a sense of hope for the rest of the league. But the last two performances show that it was actually a concern that no team could catch them when they weren’t at their best.
They were utterly relentless at Easter Road after withstanding a strong start from Hibs, with Maeda the catalyst for the glut of chances to follow as he netted the opening goal before exploding within a second.
But what was arguably most impressive was their work rate off the ball. The players clearly responded to their coach’s rallying cry, as their counter-pressing made life impossible for Hibs, who ended up desperately trying to stem wave after wave of attack.
Even at Ibrox, Celtic in this form will be favorites to win Monday’s Old Firm derby. If they do, a 12 point lead will surely signal the title remains in East Glasgow.
As for the Hibs, Lee Johnson demanded a stronger mentality from his side than they showed in the 6-1 loss at Celtic Park. He certainly understood that as they came out strong, but ultimately succumbed to the quality of their visitors.
Most top-flight teams simply don’t have the ball quality to get through Celtic’s press, and this once again proved the case.
Johnson still has plenty of skeptics to win over, but it would be hard to over-criticize this performance. What Hibs really need is a convincing display and a good result at Tynecastle on Monday.
Anything less, and their current form will once again loom large.
what they said
Hibernian director Lee Johnson: “We really took the game against Celtic in the first 15 minutes. The 15 seconds they owned it, headed it on the ball. That’s my criticism. Could we have applied more pressure?
“Against a team of this quality, we’re just not there yet. I wish we were more fired up for a few goals, but we had chances and fought back well.”
Celtic coach Ange Postecoglou: “We felt like Hibs would come our way and the first 10 minutes was a real game. We just stayed really strong and eventually wore them down.
“I think part of this team that is underrated is fitness. I think we are the fittest team in the competition. The players work hard every day and we want to bring that to every match.”
And after?
Both teams face travel to take on their city rivals on Monday, with Celtic at Ibrox to take on Rangers (12.30pm) and later Hibs face foes Edinburgh Hearts at Tynecastle (3.00pm).
