Celtic were behind at Easter Road after two minutes and in front before the half-hour. That is roughly the story of their season, and it is why Martin O'Neill's side go into the midweek round four points clear at the top of the Scottish Premiership with nine wins from ten.
Camilo Duran settled it with his 10th goal of the campaign. Hibernian, a point adrift at the bottom and now without a league win in two months, deserved better than the way they gave the lead away.
Two minutes of joy, two minutes of regret
Owen Elding put Hibs ahead early, lashing in after Joe Newell took a free-kick quickly. Newell had only been added to the starting line-up late on, after illness ruled out Martin Boyle. Celtic were caught napping, and it was not their only lapse of the afternoon — the distribution out from the back was poor throughout.
The lead lasted two minutes. Callum McGregor's deflected strike went wide and brought a series of corners, and from one of them Jason Kerr headed Benjamin Nygren's delivery into his own goal. The nearest player to Kerr as he did it was his own team-mate Elding, which tells you how that one unfolded.
Thibaut Klidje then failed to keep a lob down after another slack moment in the Hibs defence, and within seconds Duran swept in Celtic's second from a loose ball around the edge of the box. The chance missed at one end, punished immediately at the other — in a tight game that sequence is usually the whole match.
Celtic were not good, and won anyway
The second half never became a procession. Mika Baur tested Raphael Sallinger from distance as Celtic tried to finish it, Cameron Carter-Vickers blocked a late Josh Mulligan effort, and Hibs made a contest of the closing half-hour without seriously threatening Sam Johnstone. Grant Hanley, the veteran Scotland defender, was pushed forward late on to no effect.
Celtic's own frustrations continue up front. Callum Osmand set up Kasper Hogh at close range and the striker could not get a proper connection; moments later Hogh did connect, after Duran mis-hit another Osmand pass, and Sallinger stood up well. Hogh came off just after the hour. The club's record signing has now gone 12 games without scoring.
'Our best win of the season'
O'Neill was not pretending his team had played well, and did not need to. "Absolutely delighted with it," he said. "Considering the circumstances, considering the conditions today and considering what has happened on Thursday, I thought this was our best win of the season and we didn't play particularly well in the game. Thankfully, we did score so quickly afterwards and we got the winning goal. It's a difficult afternoon even in good conditions for me. I always find Easter Road really difficult."
Thursday had been a Europa League home defeat by Celta Vigo from a winning position, which gives the comment its edge. Hibs boss Marink Reedijk, three games into the job and three defeats in, found something to hold on to: "What I saw is a team who kept on fighting and made it very difficult for Celtic. Celtic were very clinical."
Reedijk has one more match before Sunday's Edinburgh derby League Cup semi-final against Hearts. Celtic host Dundee United in midweek, and any win strengthens their position over a chasing pair, Rangers and Hearts, who meet each other in Edinburgh.
Match facts: Hibernian 1-2 Celtic, Scottish Premiership, Easter Road, Sunday 25 October. Owen Elding (2 mins, assist Joe Newell), Jason Kerr own goal two minutes later from a Benjamin Nygren corner, Camilo Duran for his 10th of the season. Celtic four points clear at the top with nine wins from ten; Hibernian a point adrift at the bottom and winless in the league for two months.
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