Hibernian 0-4 Celtic: Scottish Premiership leaders win 12th straight match

Daizen Maeda scored a stunning extremity for Celtic which made it 2-0 astatine Easter Road

Celtic volition spell into adjacent week's "showcase" Glasgow derby connected a tally of 12 consecutive Scottish Premiership wins aft thumping Hibernian astatine Easter Road.

Ange Postecoglou's broadside stay 9 points wide of rivals Rangers, who they sojourn connected Monday successful a perchance pivotal 2nd derby of the season.

"We cognize it's a important game," helium told BBC Scotland. "A important crippled for our supporters and our league.

"It's a showcase game. They are 2nd and we're first. There's each of those elements, but I tin guarantee you we enactment successful the aforesaid mentation for each crippled and we'll beryllium acceptable for it.

"It's ever pugnacious but these are the games you privation to beryllium progressive successful and we're going successful with immoderate decent form."

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After a mates of constrictive wins connected their instrumentality from the World Cup break, Postecoglou calmly laid down the gauntlet to his players aft the triumph against Livinston, citing his vexation astatine their play successful the last third.

But aft putting 4 past St Johnstone astatine the weekend, they upped their levels again astatine Easter Road aft a accelerated opening 10 minutes from Hibs.

Mooy arrowed a debased changeable past David Marshall aft Maeda's transverse was deflected into his path, and the Japanese winger missed an casual header earlier instantly responding with a stunning onslaught from 20 yards.

That summed up Celtic's relentlessness, and Greg Taylor's fantastic defence-splitting walk acceptable Maeda escaped again conscionable earlier the hour, and erstwhile Abada connected with his transverse the shot flew disconnected the manus of Hibs' Lewis Stevenson.

Mooy calmly rolled successful the punishment for his 2nd goal, and 8 minutes aboriginal Reo Hatate - playing retired of presumption astatine right-back - picked retired Kyogo with a defence-splitting pass.

The league's apical scorer stayed calm to instrumentality the shot wrong Rocky Bushiri earlier uncovering the bottommost country for his 14th extremity of the season.

Hibs started rapidly and had Chris Cadden's second-minute extremity ruled retired for offside, arsenic good arsenic Paul Hanlon's effort disconnected a station astatine 2-0, but they could not prolong immoderate situation arsenic Celtic overwhelmed them for the 2nd clip this season.

Player of the lucifer - Daizen Maeda

Maeda caused Hibs problems down the near flank, mounting up the archetypal extremity earlier scoring a fantastic second. His enactment complaint was outstanding arsenic usual, too.

Relentless Celtic laic down gauntlet - investigation

Celtic's dilatory commencement to the season's resumption - by their ain standards - offered a consciousness of anticipation for the remainder of the league. But the past 2 performances amusement it was really concerning that nary broadside could drawback them retired erstwhile not astatine their best.

They were utterly relentless astatine Easter Road aft weathering a beardown commencement from Hibs, with Maeda the catalyst for the glut of chances to travel arsenic helium acceptable up the archetypal extremity earlier blasting successful a second.

But arguably what was astir awesome was their work-rate disconnected the ball. The players person intelligibly responded to their manager's rallying cry, arsenic their counter-pressing made beingness intolerable for Hibs, who ended up desperately trying to stem question aft question of attack.

Even astatine Ibrox, Celtic successful this signifier volition beryllium favourites to triumph Monday's Old Firm derby. If they do, a 12-point pb volition surely awesome the rubric is staying successful the eastbound extremity of Glasgow.

As for Hibs, Lee Johnson asked for a stronger mentality from his broadside than they showed successful the 6-1 decision astatine Celtic Park. He surely got it arsenic they came retired strongly, but yet succumbed to their visitors' quality.

Most teams successful the apical formation conscionable don't person the prime connected the shot needed to get done Celtic's press, and it proved the lawsuit erstwhile again.

Johnson inactive has galore doubters to triumph over, but it would beryllium harsh to beryllium over-critical of this performance. What Hibs truly request is simply a convincing display, and bully result, astatine Tynecastle connected Monday.

Anything less, and their existent tally of signifier volition loom ample erstwhile more.

What they said

Hibernian manager Lee Johnson: "We truly took the crippled to Celtic successful the archetypal 15 minutes. The 2nd 15 minutes, they owned, bossed it connected the ball. That's my criticism. Could we person applied much pressure?

"Against a broadside of that quality, we're conscionable not determination yet. I'd similar america to person been switched connected much for a mates of the goals but we had chances and counter-attacked well."

Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou: "We had a feeling Hibs would travel astatine america and the archetypal 10 minutes was a existent game. We conscionable stayed truly beardown and yet we wore them down.

"I deliberation 1 portion of this squad that is underestimated is fitness. I deliberation we're the fittest squad successful the competition. The players enactment hard each time and we privation to bring that to each game."

What's next?

Both sides look trips to look their metropolis rivals connected Monday, with Celtic astatine Ibrox to play Rangers (12:30) and aboriginal connected Hibs look Edinburgh foes Hearts astatine Tynecastle (15:00).