Celtic Grind Out Victory at Easter Road Despite Ten-Man Hibs Chaos

Celtic secured a vital 1-2 away victory against Hibernian at Easter Road on 3 May 2026, courtesy of goals from Daizen Maeda and Kelechi Promise Iheanacho. The result, while perhaps flattering to Celtic in terms of the drama involved, was comprehensively backed up by a dominant statistical performance across the ninety minutes.

Match Analysis

The pivotal moment arrived as early as the 21st minute, when Jamie McGrath was dismissed following a VAR review of a foul committed at the 20-minute mark. The red card left Hibernian facing the remainder of the match with ten men, fundamentally reshaping what had been, to that point, a reasonably balanced contest.

Celtic wasted little time exploiting their numerical advantage. On the stroke of half-time, Daizen Maeda opened the scoring in the 41st minute, converting a right-foot shot with an assist from Alistair Johnston — a goal that was itself subject to a VAR check at 42 minutes, ultimately standing. Hibs refused to capitulate, however, and produced a spirited response deep into first-half stoppage time, with Joe Newell levelling at 45+3' with a composed left-foot finish to send both sides into the break level.

David Gray made two immediate half-time changes to reshape his beleaguered side, but Celtic's quality and the man advantage told decisively. Kelechi Promise Iheanacho, introduced from the bench in the 70th minute, made an immediate impact, netting the winning goal just two minutes later with a left-foot finish to restore Celtic's lead at 1-2.

The statistics paint a stark picture of Celtic's dominance. Martin O'Neill's side enjoyed 81% ball possession compared to Hibernian's 19%, registered 27 total shots to Hibs' four, and produced a remarkable 13 corners to Hibernian's zero. Celtic's 18 key passes dwarfed Hibernian's single key pass, and their passing accuracy stood at 89% versus 51% for the hosts. With 80 dangerous attacks to Hibs' 10, Celtic were relentless in their pressure, even if the final margin remained narrow.

A series of late bookings — including yellow cards for Arne Engels and Luke McCowan for time-wasting — illustrated Celtic's desire to see the game out as Hibernian pushed forward desperately in the closing stages. Jordan Obita and Josh Campbell also picked up bookings for Hibs in a feisty second half, with Liam Scales cautioned on the Celtic side in the same fractious exchange at 54 minutes.

Prediction Review

Our pre-match forecast called for a Celtic win at a confidence level of 62/100, with a predicted scoreline of 1-2 — an exact match to the final result. The away win probability of 60.9% reflected Celtic's clear quality advantage, and the match ultimately confirmed that assessment, even if Hibs' resilience and Newell's equaliser added a layer of unpredictability. The early dismissal of McGrath made the outcome considerably less uncertain in retrospect.

Key Takeaways

• McGrath's red card was the defining moment, effectively ending Hibernian's realistic prospects of a positive result from the 21st minute onwards.
• Iheanacho's immediate impact as a substitute underlined Celtic's squad depth — a match-winning contribution within two minutes of his introduction.
• Hibernian's tactical discipline held impressively given the circumstances, with Newell's equaliser a genuine moment of quality, though the numerical deficit proved ultimately insurmountable.
• Celtic's statistical dominance — particularly in possession, attacks, and corners — reflects a team in strong form and control under Martin O'Neill.