Hibernian 1-2 Celtic
By Gethin Thurlow at Meadowbank for Impetus (23/12/25)
Above: Grant Scott with the SWPL title in May last year Photo: @Record_Sport on X
Celtic poached the three points and manager from Hibs in what was a blockbuster 24 hours between the clubs.
First of all, Maria McAneny scored an incredible goal directly from the opening kick-off, with Celtic eventually going on to win 2-1 and leave the hosts 13 points behind Glasgow City in their title defence. Then on Monday, Scottish football was rocked as they awoke to the news that Grant Scott had signed a contract with Celtic, as the Hibees received a compensation fee for the contract being broken.
Grant Scott leaves Hibs as a legend for bringing them a first title in almost 20 years, having had cup success in his earlier reign as boss too. Elena Sadiku was the manager to bring Celtic the SWPL title for the first time ever, but times have gone downhill since then and a victory in this game was not enough to save the Swedish manager.
Teams
Still struggling with injuries, Hibs at least had positive news in that Eilidh Adams started a second game in a row after her injury return, while Rachel Boyle started in midfield as she manages her second comeback of the season. Lauren Doran-Barr got another shout at right back ahead of Caley Gibb, while Scarlett Herron kept cementing her place at centre back as Linzi Taylor remains sidelined.
In what would be her final match, Elena Sadiku enjoyed the return of Scotland winger Maria McAneny, putting her straight into the starting lineup. Lisa Robertson and Momo Nakao played together in midfield, with Nakao allowed to press up and really challenge the Hibernian defence. Gallacher and Noonan started together as well, meaning the Irish striker gave Celtic a focal point at the top. Jenny Smith started on the right wing as Morgan Cross was benched.
The Action
The game began in absolutely incredible fashion, as Saoirse Noonan laid off the ball for Maria McAneny, who smashed it straight for the goal. I think everyone in the stadium expected it to fly over the bar, but Noa Schumacher started backtracking and suddenly there was a collective breath held. Despite the Americans’ best efforts, her hands could do nothing to stop the ball from dropping into the top of the goal.
Going behind before they even touched the ball, Hibs’ resilience was tested early on, especially within the context of them dropping points with a draw at Montrose last weekend. They were also challenged by a high Celtic press, with Amy Gallacher and Noonan both carrying the pressing capabilities of strikers, while Momo Nakao is always looking to nip the ball from opponents.
In the first half it was the Hibees on the ball for the majority, but not in the areas they’d like. The visitors had the bets of the chances, with Schumacher making a strong save from McAneny.
Hibs enjoyed success down the right, with winger Hannah Luke at left back, as Kirsty Morrison put up a few crosses. Most of these went to the back post and Rosie Livingstone couldn’t get a touch on them. The most threatening cross was along the ground, and on the stretch Eilidh Adams could only force it wide of the post.
Just before half time, Ciara Grant took a free kick which bounced around the edge of the box for a bit. Eventually it fell to Scarlett Herron, who sliced the ball home on her left foot. Having scored in the Dryburgh 7-0 and last week’s 1-1 draw at Montrose, the Irish centre back is Hibernians most reliable goal scorer at the moment.
The midfield battle was fiercely fought, with Lisa Robertson and Momo Nakao both being defensive minded with a great ability to win the ball back. Ellis Notley and Ciara Grant did the same job for Hibs, while Rachel Boyle played the role of disturber to the front three.
Lisa Rodgers wasn’t called into action too much, aside from a number of shots from outside the box. Schumacher however had a number of tough shots to face. None more so than a penalty from Noonan. Siobhan Hunter had barged into McAneny very late after a pass in the box, and the referee pointed straight to the spot. Diving left, the American pushed the initial effort out, but Noonan was right on the rebound and Schumacher could do nothing about it.
They brought Caley Gibb and Tegan Bowie on in the wide areas, soon joined by Tiree Burchill, Hannah Jordan and Jess Fitzgerald as they pushed for an equaliser. Bowie saw a lot of the ball on the left-hand side, as Jordan, Grant and Notley all frantically played in the wingers whenever they could. Lisa Rodgers had to come and strongly claim a few high balls, which she did.
All was not plain sailing however as she struggled to pass out especially when under pressure. Once, she took aim at Kirsty Morrison, who’s long range strike flew past the post.
Looking to secure the win, Celtic turned to Chloe Craig, who made her return from a long-term ACL recovery just two weeks. On the left side of defence, she looked solid and nullified the threats from Burchill and Morrison where she could.
Morgan Cross replaced Noonan and played out of position as the striker. She missed an absolute howler as Hunter was caught on by McAneny on the halfway line, who then ran down and provided the unmarked winger with a perfect chance. It seemed like Cross has too much time to think about it and she ended up skying the chance.
Given the various contentious referee interventions/non-interventions and Celtic’s late time-wasting, there was a large spate of extra time. The whistle was eventually blown however with Hibs unable to find another goal, and in all likelihood the whistle was blown on their title defence.
Player of the Match Maria McAneny
Scoring one of the most audacious and quickest goals in the history of football, Scotland’s newest SWPL debutant was magical from the first (four) seconds in Edinburgh. The acknowledgement of her talent by Melissa Andreatta seems to have brought out extra confidence in McAneny. She was charging up and down that wing like she owned it today, and despite some great defending from Doran-Barr, she ultimately did own it.
Her pace, skill and power have always been there, but this year she’s added some more in-game reading and now can influence games throughout. Sunday’s game was no different, and it was not surprising at all that McAneny was the one to draw a foul for the penalty. Whenever Celtic needed that spark, they turned to her and she continually delivered.
Where this leaves the teams
Hibs suffered another blow in this horrible run of form. Having picked up just 2 points in the last four games, they’ve been outscored by Montrose (5), Partick Thistle (6) and Motherwell (3), as well as the other four professional teams. Injuries and a bad schedule have lined up at the worst possible time for them, and the title winning side has looked a shell of itself without Kathleen McGovern and Linzi Taylor.
Given Glasgow City’s victory later in the day, they are now 13 points clear of the Hibees. While the split does give opportunities for the table to change drastically, that gap is probably too much to close – especially with the Old Firm rivals and Hearts six points closer to City. Hannah Jordan looked good in her cameo, while Scarlett Herron continues to impress at both ends of the pitch, so there are at least some positives looking ahead to the future.
It feels like Hibs were able to accept that the title was gone, and they would take the buy-out money from Celtic and invest it to rebuild this squad. The transfer strategy of this summer was very much focused on bringing in young players, and they will continue to flourish over the next five years. With the entire winter break to find an adequate replacement, this is probably the best in-season time to lose a manager.
It was a massive win Celtic. Since beating Hearts on the opening day, they’d only taken one point off the other professional teams, so coming to Edinburgh and proving they were still at that level was so important for the Glasgow side.
The research was clearly done pre-game to know that Noa Schumacher would be vulnerable to a direct kick-off goal but actually pulling it off is another ball game. If the Ghirls can keep up this form heading into the split, with Rangers still developing under their new manager and questions over Hearts’ ability to sustain a title challenge, they could be the ones to give City a run for the SWPL title.
Grant Scott has experience winning trophies over his two runs at the reigning champions, as well as that glorious title win last year. Without a strong distinctive style of play, Scott will likely assess the squad and build it from that. Key in his plans should be Scotland defender Emma Lawton, McAneny, the dynamic midfielder Momo Nakao – who offers something slightly different than his Hibs players did.
Teams: HIBERNIAN (4-2-3-1) Schumacher, Doran-Barr, Hunter, Herron, Papadopoulos, Notley, Grant, Morrison, Boyle (c), Livingstone, Adams. Substitutes: Gibb (for Doran-Barr 73’), Bowie (for Morrison 73’), Burchill (for Notley 79’), Hannah Jordan (for Adams 79’), Fitzgerald (for Boyle 79’).
Scorer: 1-1 Herron 41’.
CELTIC (4-3-3): Rodgers, Lawton, Clark (c), Walsh, Luke, Nakao, Robertson, Gallacher, Smith, Noonan, McAneny. Substitutes: Cross (for Noonan 73’), Craig (for Gallacher 73’), Westin (for Nakao 81’).
Scorers: 0-1 McAneny 1’, 1-2 Noonan 56’.
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