Celtic Vs Hibernian: Scottish Premiership updates and match report
The shock result in celtic vs hibernian saw Hibernian beat Celtic 2-1 at Celtic Park, Kai Andrews netting a late winner as Auston Trusty was sent off and the champions dropped crucial points in the title race. The weekend also featured a dramatic Rangers draw at Livingston and further movement around the top of the table.
Celtic Vs Hibernian match report
Hibernian took the lead through Felix Passlack when he headed Nicky Cadden’s cross home after 24 minutes. Celtic pressed for an equaliser and, in added time at the end of the first half, Benjamin Nygren produced a diving header from Kieran Tierney’s cross to level — Nygren’s 18th of the season. The match turned in the second half when Auston Trusty was dismissed; one account places the sending off in the 73rd minute for punching Jamie McGrath in the arm at a corner, while another describes a VAR-assisted red card in the 74th minute after an off-the-ball incident in which Trusty pulled Jamie McGrath’s arm as they lined up for a corner. Celtic were reduced to 10 men for the final 17 minutes of the contest.
Despite sustained pressure and opportunities missed by Tomas Cvancara and Hyun‑Jun Yang, Celtic could not find a winner. Substitute Kai Andrews, a 19-year-old and former Motherwell midfielder, finished from the edge of the box in the 87th minute to claim his first career goal and seal Hibernian’s first victory at Celtic Park for 16 years, a run stretching back to 2010. Ante Suto played the pass that allowed Andrews to score after James Forrest had come close for Celtic.
Rangers draw at Livingston
Rangers recovered from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 at Livingston in West Lothian but dropped two points. French defender Brooklyn Kabongolo gave Livingston the lead with a volley in the 14th minute, and Lewis Smith doubled the advantage in the 55th minute. Livingston were reduced to 10 men on the hour when Cristian Montano was sent off by referee Ryan Lee for denying Rangers attacker Djeidi Gassama a goalscoring opportunity. Emmanuel Fernandez hit a thunderous strike from the edge of the box in the 81st minute and Mikey Moore glanced in a James Tavernier cross two minutes from time to level.
Livingston then held out through nine added minutes. There was a lengthy VAR check deep into stoppage time when Moore was tackled by Cammy Kerr at the edge of the box, but no penalty was awarded. Rangers’ head coach Danny Röhl described the incident as crucial, saying: "For me, it’s a clear foul. It’s on the line. And then it’s two decisions. If it’s outside, it’s a red card and a free-kick, or it’s inside, then it’s a penalty and a yellow card. You see it. Those are crucial moments in this race. " Livingston goalkeeper Jerome Prior and his teammates were credited with keeping Rangers at bay for long spells.
Key moments and timeline
The weekend’s sequence of events moved quickly. At Celtic Park: Passlack’s opener at 24 minutes, Nygren’s equaliser on the stroke of half-time, Trusty’s dismissal in the 73rd/74th minute, and Andrews’ 87th-minute winner. At Livingston: Kabongolo’s 14th-minute volley, Smith’s 55th-minute finish, Montano’s hour‑mark sending off, Fernandez’s 81st-minute strike and Moore’s late header. Managers and players pointed to the red cards and late goals as turning points in both matches.
Reactions from managers and players
Hibs head coach David Gray said: "It's been a long time coming. That's twice we've been here [this season] and not lost. It shows we are capable if we go toe-to-toe, but it takes a level of performance, that requires every man to be at their very best. It's all about us. How can we keep improving? It's a massive three points today on the back of a positive result last week against St Mirren. That's us five points behind Motherwell, still to play them twice and all the teams round about us. It's all to play for between now and the end of the season and we'll be aiming to push up the table as hard as we can. All you can do is take one game at a time. "
Livingston manager Marvin Bartley described a "real rollercoaster of emotions, " adding that if he had been offered a 2-2 before the game he would have taken it. He said: "At 2-0 up we looked pretty comfortable. The turning point was the sending off. The players gave me everything today and that's all I can ask for. It's going to take a lot for us to get out of this situation but I saw a lot of things I liked today. "
Michael Stewart, the former Hearts and Hibs midfielder, criticised Celtic’s performance and head coach Martin, saying that praise of being "terrific" was misplaced: Stewart argued that the defence was "rubbish, " the midfield tended to go sideways or back, and there was no one capable of scoring up front. He called the assessment deluded and singled out Trusty with an expletive-laden criticism, warning that if Celtic played like that again it would be "a no contest. "
Title race implications and standings
The weekend left the top of the table unsettled. Rangers are now four points behind the leaders with 10 fixtures remaining, while Celtic’s 2-1 defeat leaves them two points further behind the top two but having played one game fewer. Sky‑noted standings place Celtic six points behind league leaders Hearts. Hearts had earlier won 1-0 at Tynecastle against Falkirk, with January signing Islam Chesnokov scoring his first goal for the club; Hearts had been beaten 4-2 at Rangers the previous weekend. Separately, suggestions were made that Motherwell’s emphatic win, and Hearts’ victory, apply pressure: Motherwell would go one point behind Celtic and three behind Rangers before those two clubs meet, and it was suggested Motherwell could finish above Celtic or Rangers, perhaps both, leaving Celtic and Rangers as low as third and fourth in the table if results go against them.
Martin O'Neill suffered his first domestic defeat since returning to Celtic. The result leaves Celtic facing a testing run of fixtures, including an Old Firm trip next weekend, and questions over Trusty's dismissal and potential availability if any appeal were pursued. "Don't forget Sportscene. You can catch all of highlights at 19: 15, " was also broadcast as part of the weekend coverage.
All sides now prepare for another busy week of fixtures, with margins in the title race tightening and every game taking on heightened importance.
