Edinburgh night filled with hot air

Alex McLeish, the manager of Hibernian, unknowingly set the tone for this encounter during the pre-match build-up on Tuesday. McLeish's thoughts about what was to come centred on balloons.

After a home defeat by Aberdeen and then the concession of a late equaliser against St Mirren last Saturday, McLeish was talking about Hibs' balloon bursting. Across in Glasgow, following the 5-1 thrashing at Ibrox on Sunday, Martin O'Neill was doing much the same.

We all thought, of course, that this was self-deprecating managerspeak, but on the evidence of this terrible game in Edinburgh, while balloons may not be bursting there is a lot of hot air hissing out of them.

Celtic maintain their seven-point lead over Hibernian at the top of the table and are now 13 points ahead of Rangers. But Dick Advocaat's team have two games in hand. The league leaders did not create a significant opportunity all night.

The first half hour, which was almost worrying in its lack of quality, became the norm. There was an inability in all quarters to find some space and time and try and slow the game down. Not surprisingly, the only two players capable of rising above the mediocrity were the home side's best, Franck Sauzee and Russell Latapy. Briefly.

Their work tended to be undone by limited forward play. It was 28 minutes before they managed a shot on goal - more than Celtic had done at that stage - Mixu Paatelainen benefiting from a Paul Fenwick deflection only to strike his volley straight at Robert Douglas.

Now we had some action at last, from Hibs at least. Six minutes later Paatelainen had an even better chance when, dragging himself away from Johan Mjallby, he got a foot onto Gary Smith's pump forward. Paatelainen skewed his shot wide.

With Bobby Petta storming off after being injured, Celtic not only lost some shape but the minimal momentum which the Dutchman had given them down the right. Latapy began to express himself and three minutes before half-time he was part of the move that led to referee Stuart Dougal's controversial decision to award and then cancel out a penalty.

Didier Agathe, booed relentlessly on his return to Easter Road, was the perpetrator of the foul on Ulrik Laursen as he sped onto Paatelainen's short diagonal pass. Unfortunately for the delirious majority, the linesman had his flag up for offside, in itself a debateable decision. That O'Neill had run 40 yards along the touchline to ensure the linesman kept his flag up aggravated the home fans.

Presumably, O'Neill was fairly enraged in the Celtic dressingroom, but though they definitely came out with more purpose and immediately took hold of possession, much of it was in keeping with what had gone before - scrappy. The game passed Colin Healy by. He was not alone.

Nicky Colgan, the Hibernian goalkeeper from Drogheda, departed with what appeared to be a strained hamstring in the 65th minute without having made a save. But his replacement Mike Franks was forced to produce one with his first touch, Stilian Petrov's low free-kick just evading Chris Sutton's outstretched leg and bouncing safely into Franks' grasp.

Much to the concern of O'Neill and the rest of the Celtic coaching staff, that was all Franks had to do. Henrik Larsson was played in neatly by Agathe with 13 minutes remaining but he ballooned an off-balance shot into the stands. A couple of moments later Larsson released Agathe down the opposite flank only for him to do the same. It was that kind of night.

Hibernian: Colgan (Franks 65), G. Smith, Sauzee, Fenwick, Laursen, Latapy, O'Neil, Jack, Lovell, Zitelli (Lehmann 75), Paatelainen. Subs Not Used: Andrews, Murray, McManus. Booked: Laursen.

Celtic: Douglas, Boyd, McNamara, Valgaeren, Mjallby, Petta (Mahe 35), Agathe, Petrov, Healy (Moravcik 75), Sutton, Larsson. Subs Not Used: Gould, Johnson, Tebily. Booked: Sutton, McNamara.

Referee: S Dougal (Scotland).