Brendan Rodgers provides update on ‘nasty’ Alistair Johnston Celtic injury

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Celtic dramatically opened up a three-point lead at the top of the Scottish Premiership due to a penalty double from Adam Idah against Hibernian.

In the opening stages, Brendan Rodgers’ men were awarded a spot-kick following Nectarios Triantis’ clash of heads with Alistair Johnston, resulting in the latter being withdrawn due to injury.

Republic of Ireland international Idah cooly slotted away to break the deadlock; however, Dylan Levitt pegged the Bhoys back on the hour mark.

Truthfully, Celtic weren’t anywhere near their free-flowing best, though they weren’t to be denied a first victory at Easter Road since December 2022.

Kyogo Furuhashi was illegally foiled just inside the area late on, leaving Idah with the opportunity to claim three major points.

The 22-year-old sent David Marshall the wrong way once again on a night where the Hoops showed a champions mentality in the capital.

Brendan Rodgers drops injury update on Celtic’s Alistair Johnston

Canada international Johnston looked to be in major discomfort after his bump of heads with Triantis and was taken off once the required concussion protocols were adhered to.

Rodgers has since spoken about the incident and has revealed that he suffered a ‘nasty’ blow which will need to be assessed further.

The Irishman stated [Sky Sports]: “Yeah, it was a nasty one for him. I think he’s gone to the hospital. So I’ll find out a wee bit more later.”

Anthony Ralston came in to replace Johnston on the right-hand side of defence and made some vital blocks during proceedings, illustrating his value as a capable deputy.

Celtic majorly rode their luck against Hibernian

Anyone who watched yesterday’s events will be mindful that Celtic got out of jail in the capital following another indifferent performance, though victory is all that matters.

Hibernian had 12 shots throughout the affair, with four going on target. On the flip side, the Hoops recorded just eight efforts in total, three of which were within reach of the goal frame [BBC Sport].

Despite this, winning at any cost was the mantra at Easter Road and the Bhoys simply had to get three points over the line to put pressure back on Rangers in the Scottish Premiership title race.