Celtic had turned things around in recent weeks both in the league as well as in Europe. But they had a tricky test this afternoon at Easter Road against Hibernian FC managed by Neil Lennon, the former Hoops boss. Although Hibs have struggled so far this term, a determined display against the champions saw them grabbing a surprise 2-0 win defying the odds.
Below are the Celtic players rated in their disappointing defeat against Hibernian.
Craig Gordon: 6
Two exquisite finishes from Vykintas Slivka and Florian Kamberi left the Scotsman with no option but to concede twice in the game. Made some routine saves, but those were not enough to save his team from a terrible defeat.
Kristoffer Ajer: 5.5
An injury to Mikael Lustig forced Brendan Rodgers to deploy Ajer in a right-back role. He did not do much wrong but lacked enough attacking intent in his game. Mostly confined his game at the back and could not combine with Forrest leaving the winger all alone while creating chances.
Jozo Simunovic: 5.5
Should have done a lot better to close down Slivka in the early seconds of the game. Often struggled to deal with the Hibs counter attacking movements and lacked chemistry with Benkovic in the heart of the Celtic defence.
Filip Benkovic: 6
The Leicester City loanee was not settled when the hosts struck early on. He improved his display with time but must work on his partnership with Simunovic in the absence of Dedryck Boyata.
Emilio Izaguirre: 4.5
Was handed a rare start in place of Kieran Tierney. The veteran should have done a lot better as he was often caught off-paced and lacked defensive composure. Was taken off just after the hour mark and got replaced by Jonny Hayes.
Scott Brown: 6.5
The skipper tried his best to guide his men back in the game after conceding early. Was combative in midfield as always and also charged forward to make Ofir Marciano work in Hibs goal.
Olivier Ntcham: 5.5
Was not his best display despite a few strong runs down the middle and goal-bound attempts. Lacked enough creativity from the deep and should have been more instrumental with his box to box movements.
James Forrest: 6
Made the goalkeeper work but lacked enough support down the flank. Ajer did not make many overlapping runs, and the in-form Scotsman was well-contained by Lewis Stevenson.
Callum McGregor: 6
Mostly operated in a ‘number 10’ role but failed to channelise the creativity of Tom Rogic and Ryan Christie. Worked hard to win back possession and stretch the game down the flanks. But his efforts went in vain as the hosts dealt those with a strong resilience at the back.
Scott Sinclair: 5
Was expected to step up using his skill as well as experience. But the Englishman disappointed big time as Steven Whittaker repeatedly denied him down the left. Was replaced by Lewis Morgan just over the hour mark.
Odsonne Edouard: 5.5
Not a comfortable afternoon for the Frenchman who remained isolated and could not offer much despite best efforts in tracking back to win the possession. Was replaced by youngster Michael Johnston with 15 minutes remaining in the second half.
Substitutes
Jonathan Hayes: 5
Replaced Izaguirre minutes after Kamberi’s strike. Was supposed to add more strength high up the pitch but failed to make any noteworthy contribution in final half an hour.
Lewis Morgan: 6
Was more influential and lively than Sinclair but failed to alter the scoreline despite his best efforts.
Michael Johnston: 5.5
Was brought in place of Edouard in a desperate attempt to salvage something from this fixture. The youngster had a few decent touches but failed to contribute enough to script a comeback late in the game.
