Celtic Vs Hibernian: celtic vs hibernian match report and Premiership fallout

In a result that reshaped the Scottish Premiership picture, Hibernian beat Celtic 2-1 at Celtic Park, with substitute Kai Andrews scoring in the 87th minute. The celtic vs hibernian outcome left Celtic trailing the leaders and produced a torrent of reaction from managers and fans.

Celtic Park decisive moments

Felix Passlack put Hibernian ahead when he headed in Nicky Cadden’s cross after 24 minutes. Celtic responded and Benjamin Nygren levelled on the stroke of half-time with his 18th goal of the season, a diving header from Kieran Tierney’s cross in first-half stoppage time after Nygren ran away from Dan Barlaser to stoop and nod the ball home.

The game turned late. Auston Trusty was sent off in the second half — given a straight red for an off-the-ball incident involving Jamie McGrath at a corner. One account places the dismissal in the 73rd minute and another in the 74th minute, and a separate description notes the red card followed a VAR intervention. Celtic were forced to play the final 17 minutes with 10 men, and Hibs took advantage when Ante Suto laid the ball back for Kai Andrews to finish in the 87th minute; it was the first career goal for the 19-year-old and sealed Hibs’ first win at Celtic Park for 16 years, their last victory there coming in 2010.

Red card, appeals and consequences

The dismissal of Auston Trusty has potential repercussions. It was noted as his second red card in seven games, and Celtic will be without Trusty for the next fixture at Rangers next Sunday unless any appeal is successful. The incident was described as an off-the-ball pull on Jamie McGrath’s arm as the two lined up at a corner.

Rangers and Livingston late drama

Elsewhere, Rangers drew 2-2 away to Livingston after fighting back from 2-0 down. French defender Brooklyn Kabongolo opened the scoring for the home side with a volley in the 14th minute and Lewis Smith doubled the lead in the 55th minute. The match shifted when Cristian Montano was sent off on the hour by referee Ryan Lee, in a sequence described as Montano being dismissed for denying Rangers attacker Djeidi Gassama a goalscoring opportunity five minutes later. Emmanuel Fernandez reduced the deficit with a thunderous strike from the edge of the box in the 81st minute and Mikey Moore levelled with two minutes remaining, glancing a header from a James Tavernier cross. Livingston held out through nine added minutes, despite a lengthy VAR check for a deep added-time tackle by Cammy Kerr at the edge of the box that was not given as a penalty.

Rangers’ head coach commented on the late challenge and the narrow margins, 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. "

Manager and fan reactions

Hibs head coach David Gray reflected on the result: "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 said the match was "a real rollercoaster of emotions, " adding: "If you'd offered me 2-2 beforee the game I would have taken it. 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. "

Former Hearts and Hibs midfielder Michael Stewart offered a wider view of the title race, noting that Motherwell and Hearts both won to apply pressure, and that the two Glasgow teams "have buckled under the pressure today. " He highlighted the forthcoming fixtures: "Next week, Hearts at home against Aberdeen and Motherwell at home against Dundee United. Same sort of thing. Motherwell would go one point behind Celtic and three behind Rangers before those two play each other the next day. It is not beyond the realms of possibility that Motherwell could finish above Celtic or Rangers, maybe both of them. "

Fan reaction to Celtic’s performance was sharp. One message read: "Martin says we were terrific. Is he serious? Our defence is rubbish, the midfield go sideways or back and we have no one capable of scoring up front. He is deluded if he thinks that was a good performance. And don't even get me started on Trusty - what a buffoon. " Another comment added: "Seriously Martin you were not terrific, stop coming out with these platitudes, you were bang off it and you know it, if you play like that next week, wow, it will be a no contest. "

Table impact and fixtures ahead

The result leaves Celtic further adrift in the title race. One account notes Celtic now trail league leaders Hearts by six points, while Rangers sit four points behind the leaders with 10 fixtures remaining. Celtic’s defeat was described as meaning they are two points further behind the top two but have played one game fewer than those teams. Hearts had earlier got their title push back on track with a 1-0 win over Falkirk at Tynecastle, the Jambos breaking the deadlock just before half-time when January signing Islam Chesnokov lashed home his first goal for the club after they had been beaten 4-2 at Rangers the previous weekend.

In short, the celtic vs hibernian result and late drama across the division have tightened the title race and set up a crucial run of fixtures in the coming weeks.

Closing: The match at Celtic Park, the red card for Auston Trusty, Kai Andrews’ 87th-minute winner and the 2-2 draw at Livingston together reshaped the league picture, with managers, former players and fans all reacting sharply to the weekend’s events.