Celtic keep pressure on Rangers

Hibernian 0-2 Celtic:  Lee Naylor's first goal for Celtic helped the Clydesdale Bank Premier League champions to victory over Hibernian at Easter Road.

The 27-year-old English defender, who had failed to notch since his arrival from Wolves in August 2006, drove home the opener in the 64th minute following a surging run from the middle of the park.

Celtic substitute Georgios Samaras, on for Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink in the 72nd minute, scored three minutes later from an Aiden McGeady cross to secure the points and keep the pressure on leaders Rangers.

A fine win was overshadowed somewhat by the antics of Celtic keeper Artur Boruc after the final whistle.

The Poland international was shown a yellow card by referee Iain Brines for continually gesturing to the Hibs supporters, an unseemly end to a fine win for Gordon Strachan's men.

Hibs had beaten Celtic in their last two meeting at Easter Road, which suggested the champions would be in for a tough examination, a notion that was confirmed in the first half which the home side dominated.

Hibs started with purpose and in the seventh minute, after a haphazard opening few moments, striker Steven Fletcher sent midfielder John Rankin clean through on goal as the Parkhead defence claimed offside.

However, the former Inverness player, like many before him this season, found Boruc too difficult to beat as the Celtic keeper blocked the shot with his legs for a corner.

Hibs kept up the pressure and had the ball in the net two minutes later but Colin Nish was adjudged, correctly, to have been offside when he headed Rankin's free-kick past Boruc from close range.

In Celtic's first real attack, with 15 minutes gone, midfielder Shunsuke Nakamura's deep cross from the left found Vennegoor of Hesselink at the back post but the big Dutchman headed tentatively into the sidenetting.

The more aggressive and pumped-up Leithers maintained the upper hand and in the 25th minute Rankin sent Fletcher scurrying down the left with a wonderful pass which left the visiting defence stretched again.

But the Scotland Under-21 striker ran too wide and his angled shot from 16 yards was blocked by Hoops' defender Andreas Hinkel for a corner which Celtic again repelled.

The ungainly but effective Nish and Abderaouf Zarabi worked a good one-two on the left-hand side of the Celtic box but again Boruc came to the rescue cutting out the cross.

In the 35th minute, Zarabi's challenge on Scott McDonald inside the Hibs box brought loud penalty claims which Brines ignored.

Just before the break, Hibees' midfielder Ian Murray headed a Brian Kerr corner just over the bar and in the dying seconds Rankin flashed a drive across the Celtic six-yard box but found no takers.

Strachan returned to his seat in the stand after the interval where he was serving the second of his two-match touchline ban.

His half-time team talk seemed to have worked. A minute after the restart, Celtic wideman McGeady played Vennegoor of Hesselink in with a clever pass and when the Dutchman's ball found Scott Brown, the former Hibs midfielder's side-footed shot from 10 yards was blocked by Martin Canning.

But at the other end soon after, Nish's volley from 30 yards skipped past Boruc's right-hand post with little to spare.

But it was Celtic's turn to force the issue, with McGeady beginning to probe for the first time in the match.

Cracks were opening in the Easter Road defence. Brown had two efforts on goal, an angled drive and a far-post header, which failed to trouble Andrew McNeil but appeared ominous.

And in the 64th minute, Celtic got the breakthrough when Naylor opened the scoring.

The defender picked up a Nakamura pass in the middle of the park and drove forward until he reached the Hibs penalty area where he got the break of the ball off Chris Hogg before driving a right-footed shot from 16 yards past McNeil.

The game had swung clearly in Celtic's favour and Brown fired in a left-footed drive which McNeil beat away.

The second goal, which sealed the points, came when Samaras headed a McGeady cross in off the post from 10 yards.

Hibs were a beaten side as Celtic, inspired by McGeady, cruised all the way to the final whistle, with Boruc adding the final, needless touch.