Celtic’s 2-1 defeat to Hibs was the biggest blow yet to their title hopes.
In Martin O’Neill’s first domestic defeat in either of his spells as interim manager, a red card to Auston Trusty led to Hibs securing their first win at Celtic Park in 13 years.
It leaves Celtic third in the Scottish Premiership table, closer in points total to fourth-place Motherwell than league leaders Hearts.
Speaking of points totals, after 27 league games this season, Celtic are at their lowest points total (54) since the 2009-10 season under Tony Mowbray, when they had three points fewer.
They are also sitting on seven defeats, the same total as Hibs and four fewer than Motherwell.
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Celtic’s damning stats after defeat vs Hibs
Regardless of whether you’re reflecting on the season so far or looking ahead into the future, it’s not a pleasant experience.
That’s because the Hoops are set to face Rangers, Aberdeen and Motherwell in their next three league games.
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It is more than feasible that the Hoops can enter their clash with Motherwell on March 14th, with the Steelmen in a position to potentially overtake them in the league.
In a truly chaotic season which has seen Celtic change manager on three occasions, the instability has taken its course on their league performance.
The disastrous spell of Wilfried Nancy saw them lose the Premier Sports Cup final to St Mirren, and lose home league games against Hearts and Rangers.
But since O’Neill’s second return, convincing performances have been few and far between. Before Sunday’s game, they had relied on injury-time goals in three straight matches.
After six winter signings, the squad itself has become unstable. Several injuries have left the champions without key players for some or all of the season.
But even in the notoriously miserable closed doors 2020-21 season under Neil Lennon, things weren’t bad at this point.
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Martin O’Neill on Celtic’s defeat to Hibs
An obviously frustrated O’Neill defended his team after the game, reflecting in an interview for BBC Scotland.
He said: “I thought we were absolutely terrific first half. We have dominated possession and we got a late first half equaliser.
“We certainly deserve that. Deserved to be in front.
“We missed a couple of great chances to do that, and yeah, so players put heart and soul into the game so I’ve no complaints in that side whatsoever.”
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