Hibs trio face race against time to make Scottish Cup clash

Striker Oli Shaw, midfielder Ryan Gauld and skipper David Gray all had to be replaced as goals from Ryan Christie and Oli Burke saw the Easter Road side slip to eighth place in the Ladbrokes Premiership.

Stand-in boss Eddie May admitted there had been some “hefty challenges” but insisted a late tackle from substitute Darnell Johnson which resulted in Celtic left-back Emilio Izaguirre being stretched off ten minutes from time didn’t deserve the red card the home fans were screaming for.

The on-loan Leicester City youngster picked up a yellow card as did team-mates Mark Milligan and Flo Kamberi, but May was adamant his challenge was no worse than that of Celtic captain Scott Brown on Milligan earlier in the game.

Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers later revealed Izaguirre’s injury wasn’t as bad as first feared but described the challenge on his player as “clumsy”. Asked if he felt it might have been a red card, May said: “I think [referee] Craig Thomson saw it for what it was, a mis-timed tackle. I’m hoping his tackling is going to be a bit better in the future, to be honest.

“I think there were a couple of poor challenges in the game.

“I hope their left-back is okay. Mark is okay after his challenge from Scott (Brown). Oli was fairly clattered, which was unfortunate.

“It is all part of the game in terms of being competitive but they were hefty challenges – all three of them.”

May, who revealed he hopes to have some clarity as to where Hibs stand in their search for a new manager tomorrow [Thursday], admitted he was disappointed at the result, saying: “I think we lost two sloppy goals. We can do a lot better defending wise.

“You cannot give a team like Celtic those opportunities. To be fair, they are clinical when they are in those areas but we have to do better.

“We tried to press them high, tried to get ball down and play but our quality at times was sometimes not at the level of player we have, which was a bit disappointing.”

May, who has admitted he can’t wait for Neil Lennon’s successor to be named so he can return to his role as head of academy coaching at East Mains, revealed he and Grant Murray could be in charge for a fourth time this weekend.

He said: “I do not know. I think the people who were speaking to people down the road came back but I don’t know what the situation is. If Grant and I are still in charge we will prepare the team the best we can to win a game of football.”

Rodgers described the win, which keeps Celtic clear at the top of the table, as “a very good three points.” He added: “It was a very good controlled performance.”