Hibernian - 0 Celtic - 1:SCOTTISH PREMIER LEAGUE: Celtic took all three points from Hibernian last night to cling on to their lead at the top of the table heading into Saturday's Old Firm showdown.
The Parkhead side were without strike duo Chris Sutton and Henrik Larsson and they seemed to be missing their talismanic Swede in particular as they struggled to break down a stubborn Hibs defence.
With Rangers picking up three points against Livingston at Ibrox, a win was essential and Stilian Petrov left it late to secure the points after 77 minutes.
Celtic tried their best to compensate for the void left by Larsson and Sutton, and Petrov managed to put the Hibs goal under pressure early in the game.
He surged into the box after five minutes and unleashed a shot only to be denied by Yannick Zambernardi, who managed to block the effort.
But Hibs seemed determined to take full advantage of Martin O'Neill's weakened side and they could have opened the scoring after nine minutes, when Ian Murray played a short ball to Derek Townsley and the former Motherwell man drove the ball at goal, but he was denied by Hoops defender Bobo Balde who managed to clear to safety.
And the best chance of the first half fell to the Easter Road side when skipper John O'Neil picked out Townsley in the box and the big midfielder's header looked set to hit the back of the net but Alan Thompson managed to clear the ball off the line to keep the scoreline level.
As the game neared half-time, the home support were in an uproar when Celtic goalkeeper Rab Douglas appeared to lift the ball about a yard outside the area, but referee Mike McCurry took no action and ordered play to continue.
Hibs tried to keep the momentum going after the break when Tom McManus took the ball round former team-mate Ulrik Laursen before crossing to Townsley at the far post, but he just failed to connect with the ball and the chance was lost.
In the second half, however, Celtic finally broke the deadlock. John Hartson made amends for missing two earlier chances when, after 77 minutes, he played the ball through to Petrov who fired a shot past Colgan.
McManus had the chance to snatch a share of the points for Hibs shortly before the final whistle, but the young striker nodded over the crossbar from just outside the six-yard box.
In Ibrox, Rangers almost let a four-goal lead slip last night after 10-man Livingston pulled back three second-half goals.
Shota Arveladze notched his first hat-trick for the club following Barry Ferguson's opener, before a double from Rolando Zarate either side of a Barry Wilson strike made it a nervy finish for the home side.
HIBERNIAN: Colgan, Smith, Fenwick, Zambernardi, Orman (Reid 88), O'Neil, Murray (Jack 73), Wiss (Brebner 73), James, McManus, Townsley.Subs Not Used: Caig, Doumbe. Booked: Murray, Wiss.
CELTIC: Douglas, Valgaeren, Balde, Laursen, Sylla (McNamara 76), Lambert, Lennon, Petrov, Thompson (Guppy 62), Hartson, Fernandez (Maloney 70). Subs Not Used: Gould, Crainey. Booked: Petrov, McNamara. Goals: Petrov 76.
Referee: M McCurry (Scotland).
