Neil Lennon came up against his former team Hibernian FC in the Scottish Cup quarter-finals, and he guided Celtic to the next round as they secured a 2-0 win at Easter Road.
As expected, Celtic enjoyed most of the possession and the Hibs defended in numbers. The away side enjoyed some goalmouth action in the first half but failed to create a clear cut opportunity. The home team must have been glad that they went in level at half time.
The second half too followed a similar pattern and it always felt like the deadlock could be broken through a moment of genius from someone. Up stepped James Forrest as he powered home from 25 yards after he went past one of the Hibs defender. After that Celtic were always in command and Scott Brown added another with a thunderous effort to put the game to bed.
Here is how the Bhoys fared on the night.
Scott Bain 6
Was largely untroubled in goal. His distribution was on point once again.
Dedryck Boyata 8
Top notch performance from the Belgian. Has often come under criticism for sometimes being too casual but tonight he stepped up to the plate and made some crucial interceptions and clearances. Almost nothing went past him.
Kristoffer Ajer 7
Did his defensive duties diligently and played the ball well from the back.
Kieran Tierney 6.5
Drove the ball forward with intensity and combined well with Scott Sinclair down the left. Defensively, he was caught out of position on a few occasions but his team-mates had him covered.
Mikael Lustig 7
Got his chance ahead of Toljan and impressed big time in his comeback. Always provided an attacking outlet from the right.
Nir Bitton 8
Brilliant display from the midfielder as he won a lot of duels and challenges in midfield. Moved the ball well and covered every blade of grass.
Scott Brown 8
Was calm in front of goal as he went past his man to unleash an unstoppable shot for the second goal. Was at his usual best in midfield; calm, composed and calculated.
Oliver Burke 7
Played in the no. 10 role and combined well with his team-mates. Worked extremely hard as he made some smart runs in the final third.
James Forrest 7.5
It was going to take something special to break the Hibs team and that is precisely what Forrest provided as he scored a brilliant goal from long range. Apart from the goal, often he got into right positions in the final third but failed to provide the killer passes.
Scott Sinclair 7
A major threat down the left and combined well with his team-mates.
Odsonne Edouard 6
His touch was slightly off and the forward missed some half chances. Nevertheless, his combination play was decent and got an assist in the end for Brown’s goal.
Substitute
Michael Johnston 5
Couldn’t make much impact after coming on
Ewan Henderson 6
Provided fresh legs on the pitch.
Jeremy Toljan N/A
Didn’t play enough to warrant a rating.
