Hibernian 1-2 Celtic: Hibs left to rue another Hampden missed opportunity
- Published
Hibernian rued their own mistakes as well as decisions at Hampden
As the smoke and mist cleared from the Hampden pitch, the Hibernian players were left to rue another missed opportunity at the national stadium amid a disruptive 10 days.
A Scottish Cup final and semi-final have come and gone in the last year, as have a League Cup semi-final and final.
Interim boss David Gray bemoaned "big moments" going against them in Sunday's defeat by Celtic in the latter - both of their own doing and that of the officials, with defender Paul McGinn stinging in his criticism of referee John Beaton.
"It's not a foul for starters," he told Premier Sports of the free kick in the run up to Celtic's winner. "We're expecting the substitution to be made because the fourth official has the board in his hands.
"If it's Hibs going through on goal after that we don't get that, but its Celtic so we'll just let them play."
Tight calls
The first key moment was Kyogo Furuhashi's equaliser, which was a tight call for the officials trying to judge if the Japanese forward had strayed offside.
TV replays proved inconclusive, and Gray acknowledged it was "hard to see" despite having watched it back.
What irked him more was the free kick for Celtic in the lead up to the second goal, and the lack of a penalty for his side right at the end when Ryan Porteous appeared to be pushed in the box by Carl Starfelt.
"The second one is very poor defending from our point of view but I don't believe we should have been defending a free kick," Gray told BBC Scotland.
"I don't understand why that's a free kick and if it is, how he then misses the foul on Ryan Porteous in the penalty box is beyond me. I've no idea how he can give that and not give the penalty. It just makes it a bit harder to take."
Missed opportunities
While the disputed calls will sting for Hibs, they had the chance to take control of their own destiny.
Gray alluded to Celtic starting games quickly, and clearly the plan was to contain them early on, which they did pretty well in the first half with Matt Macey not forced into many saves.
Hanlon's desire got them in front but thereafter they were not ruthless enough when further chances came their way, and conceded immediately after scoring.
Kevin Nisbet was denied by Joe Hart in one of Hibs' best opportunities
"We started the second half really well, got the goal, but need to see through that period after we scored. It's disappointing we couldn't," Gray told BBC Scotland.
"The manner we lost the goals was sore, but every player has given me everything from the minute we were put in charge."
Nisbet fashioned a great opportunity five minutes before Kyogo's winner, which Joe Hart saved, before the striker hit a post with one minute left and Hanlon put the rebound over from close range.
And Joe Newell could only find the body of Hart as he had the goal in his sights right at the death. Those are the moments Hibs had to ensure the narrative was different. Ultimately, they let them slip by.
'Club at a crossroads'
So what's next for Hibs? Jack Ross guided the club to two cup finals and third place in the league but was sacked 10 days before this match after a run of one win in nine league games.
The club's owner Ron Gordon told BBC Scotland before kick-off the club is "at a crossroads" and that "this chapter closes" with the final, which will cause a few raised eyebrows.
Despite putting in a solid display with Gray at the helm, might they have been better keeping Ross in place? Particularly if the replacement could not be drafted in in time for the final. Certainly some of the players seemed to think so.
Shaun Maloney is expected to take charge, perhaps as soon as Monday, but what will be demanded of him given he has not managed a first team before?
The squad is in decent shape and given Ross' harsh sacking it would be safe to assume Maloney will have to improve short-term league results straight away and - in the medium term - win something.
It's a lot to expect of a 'rookie' manager in a competitive league.
Recently Hibs have changed their sporting director, head of recruitment, and now manager amid other departures at the club. What happens in the next year will likely define Gordon's ownership.