Brendan Rodgers unable to criticise Celtic too much after draw with Hibs

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers could not fault his side beyond their finishing after they were held to a goalless home draw by Hibernian.

It was the fourth game this season that Celtic had failed to score – all of them have been goalless draws. The Hoops only drew a blank five times in the whole of the previous campaign.

Celtic hit the bar through Kelechi Iheanacho and Marcelo Saracchi and had enough chances to win the game. The champions enjoyed 77 per cent of possession and produced 24 shots, six of which were on target.

Rodgers said: “In terms of performance, the players have done really, really well. If you look at all the metrics in the game, created big chances, moved the ball really well. And our only downside was that killer touch in the box.

“I can’t be displeased with the performance. You always want to win and you want to win well. And if we get one of those opportunities in the first half, it just opens the game up.

“We just couldn’t quite make the finishing touch. Why? It’s a bit of everything. It’s technique, it’s a bit of luck, it’s really good goalkeeping, defenders making blocks.

“But what’s important is I’ve been here in 0-0s before and some of the ones this season, we haven’t been creative. I thought we were creative in some really good areas but just missed those opportunities.”

Rodgers started with home debutants Iheanacho and Sebastian Tounekti in his front line with Daizen Maeda in an unfamiliar right-wing role after struggling in the central position in Wednesday’s 1-1 Europa League draw with Red Star Belgrade.

“We’re obviously trying to manage a situation in that side of the field, where in the market we weren’t able to bring anyone in,” Rodgers said. “So I was trying to find the balance. I thought he (Maeda) did well, he ran in behind.”

Celtic took 20 minutes before seriously threatening, when Iheanacho hit the bar on a counter attack, after the Celtic Fans Collective organised a 12-minute silent protest in its campaign against the board.

Rodgers said: “I can only focus on the football. That’s the challenge for me at the moment, to give the supporters that belief that we will continue to improve. And I think they would have liked that performance.

“Obviously, they would have loved to have won the game and I want people to be coming away and talking about the football and the performance rather than the protests and the silence.

“But the players reacted really well to it. And after that 12th minute, you really felt the support and the lift, which can make the difference.”

Hibs remain unbeaten in the Premiership but it was a first clean sheet in the league this season.

Head coach David Gray said: “I’m delighted for the players because a lot has been made defensively of late and there’s been nobody more frustrated than myself and the players.

“We’ve had real strong moments and we’ve maybe let ourselves down a couple of times with switching off at key times or not having that full desire for 90 minutes to keep a clean sheet.

“It takes every single player to be at the top of their game and I thought defensively we were excellent.”