Scott Brown was ill before the game and came close to throwing up on the park before the final whistle went.

He wasn’t the only one a little green at the end of this encounter at Easter Road. In fairness, when the party is simply delayed rather than wiped out it is a little easier to forgive a blip.

Celtic allowed their first chance to sew up the title to pass them by thereby creating the possibility of winning it against Rangers on Sunday, the game the powers that be sought so hard to avoid but which will be greeted with lip-smacking anticipation from the Parkhead support.

Read more: Celtic winger James Forrest warns Hoops to take nothing for granted in Rangers title clincher

For any of the conspiracy theorists out there, though, that was never the long game from Celtic.

They wanted it against Hibs, not that you might have known it with the passivity with which they played.

Where Rangers stood and watched Celtic play them off the park at Hampden, Neil Lennon instructed his side in just how to get in the face of the Parkhead side and stop them playing. Indeed, such was Lennon’s tutelage that he used the blueprint from Rangers’ display as a how not to do it for his players in the build-up to the encounter.

The Hibs manager is homing in on second spot, a spectacular achievement given the fact he has just brought the Easter Road side up and out of the Championship. If there are suitors for Brendan Rodgers this summer – and there is a fair chance that Arsenal might not be the only ones who have the 45-year-old on a shortlist – Lennon may find himself quoted for a return back down the M8.

For Celtic now, though, there is still work to be done.

Should it transpire that Rodgers opts for at least another season at the Parkhead side, an afternoon such as Saturday may well strengthen his hand when it comes to making the case for a few new arrivals.

Read more: Celtic v Hibs: how Brendan Rodgers' players rated

There was an insipid nature about Celtic’s play against Hibs. Where they had been aggressive, clinical and fluent at Hampden they were ponderous and slow against Lennon’s side.

How much that came down to Brown toiling to pull the strings in midfield and how much came down to the lack of presence from Moussa Dembele who missed the game with an injury is difficult to ascertain but the expectancy is that more will be demanded this weekend.

The chance to clinch the title against Rangers will appeal to the club support. Rangers have been in disarray for the bulk of the season with the semi-final defeat finally bursting the dam.

There will little sympathy extended from their Glasgow rivals.

“That’s not in my thoughts now,” insisted Rodgers after the game. “We need to look at this and see how we can be better.”

The Hoops manager, was irked at the level of performance against Hibs and was quick to acknowledge that he could have few complaints about the manner of the defeat.

Read more: Celtic winger James Forrest warns Hoops to take nothing for granted in Rangers title clincher

“We didn’t defend well enough as a team and with the ball we were too slow, the passing, we expected too much time on the ball,” Rodgers said.

“We didn’t keep the ball for long enough periods in their half. I thought our outstanding player was Tom Rogic. He was the one that played up to form. Unfortunately, Scott Brown has been ill, but he put himself out there to play. You could see it, he thought he was going to be sick towards the end.

“We’re fighting to close out the league, it’s not done yet. It doesn’t matter how we do it.” Leigh Griffiths seemed off the pace against Hibs but he wasn’t the only one.

The striker netted against his boyhood team the last time the teams met at Celtic Park but there was little real sniff of anything coming off for him on Saturday afternoon.

It has been a difficult season for the Scotland internationalist whose injury situation has meant that he has been in and out without ever getting a consistent run. For Rodgers, though, this was only his third domestic defeat in 89 games in charge of Celtic.

He was correct that the defeat was little more than Celtic deserved from a game in which they seemed to be going through the motions and it will be interesting to note the differences in selection between this weekend and next.

Olivier Ntcham was eye-catching against Rangers at Hampden. The midfielder looked agog at Easter Road as he was harried off the ball, never getting a minute to place a pass or catch his breath.

Read more: Celtic v Hibs: how Brendan Rodgers' players rated

By contrast, John McGinn once more underlined his credentials. The midfielder was excellent throughout, as was former Celtic kid Dylan McGeouch.

With Stuart Armstrong, another who remains sidelined, almost certain to move on at the end of this season it could be that McGinn is seen by Celtic not so much as Brown’s successor but as Armstrong’s replacement. In any case, there were plenty of food for thought as Celtic gear up for their Champions coronation.