Neil Lennon had spoken of trying to play his latest bunch of signings into form and, in the case of Teemu Pukki, this was a palpable step forward.

The Finn, without a goal in his previous 14 outings and subbed at half-time during the Champions League drubbing by Barcelona in midweek, grabbed the winner and, more generally, showed signs of an awakening.

Pukki has performed timidly since his £2.4million transfer from Schalke in August but this, while hardly spectacular, was a marked improvement until he was forced off with a foot injury in the 58th minute. Less obvious and certainly not flashy was midfielder Nir Biton, who knitted play together with a calm authority in central midfield.

The Israeli has appeared sporadically since his move from Ashdod in the summer and, although a red card against Ajax in October did not help his case, he strolled through this one.

Unburdened by the pressures of European football, Lennon wants to give these two some proper game time following slow starts to their Parkhead careers, while the wintry weather will also see Amido Balde introduced as a more direct style of football is required.

The high walls of Celtic Park offered some shelter from the rainstorm but the horrific weather did little to enhance a flat atmosphere dampened by both the end of the club’s European campaign and the absence of resident cheerleaders the Green Brigade, dispersed by the club earlier in the week after one infringement too many.

The odd chorus sprang out from random pockets of the stadium but it was always going to take something lively on the pitch to produce enough volume to drown out the sound of the rain battering against the roof. Pukki’s goal did the trick, though, provoking a loud cheer when his name was confirmed via the tannoy.

Before then, the Finn had looked like he would endure one of those games, first appearing reluctant to attack Emilio Izaguirre’s inviting cross and then starting his run too early as Kris Commons attempted to assist with a precise pass.

His moment finally dawned in the 29th minute and it came at the end of some incisive play. Izaguirre sent Joe Ledley scampering down the channel from where the Welshman squared the ball and Pukki applied an accomplished finish.

Izaguirre, suspended for the Barcelona tie, was looking fresh and inventive in attack but also attentive at the back. Indeed, he had to mop up after Fraser Forster saved from Scott Robertson and did so with flair, collecting the rebound and calmly finding a team-mate.

In such instances, Forster’s value is obvious. After an night that must have brought him to the verge of tears at the Nou Camp in midweek, the big Englishman had needed to do little but keep the rainwater out of his eyes before Robertson’s shot came skidding at him off the surface.

The response was a trademark outstretched arm to keep out an improbable equaliser.

Commons had been left out in midweek but, regardless of Lennon’s tactical thinking behind that decision, it would have defied all logic not to reinstate him here. While Pukki and Anthony Stokes have toiled in front of goal, Commons has been flying, netting seven times in his last four domestic starts.

He was to cause Ben Williams some anxiety after the interval when he twice worked the Hibs goalkeeper — as did Stokes, who looked hungry to emulate Pukki without being accurate enough in his finishing. Hibs were less active in attack but they were also guilty of profligacy, not least midfielder Liam Craig.

Appointed captain following the appointment of Terry Butcher as manager, Craig could be excused his first skidding effort that slipped just wide but he really should have levelled the game when set up by some lackadaisical defending from Efe Ambrose.

The Nigerian has a tendency to take risks and, when pressured by Paul Cairney, he duly delivered the slack pass that gave Craig a shooting opportunity. Perhaps trying to be too precise, his shot come back off the post with Cairney crowded out by a combination of Izaguirre and Forster on the rebound.

By this stage, Pukki had been withdrawn to a standing ovation, giving Georgios Samaras a run out to little effect.Izaguirre was correctly booked by Bobby Madden for diving, while Stokes and Hibs defender Jordon Forster were lucky to escape the referee’s attention.

There were nerves among the home ranks as the game reached its conclusion and enough concern for Lennon to contemplate a time- wasting substitution. Fortunately for the Celtic boss (and less so for Balde), referee Madden blew for time up before the Portuguese striker could be introduced.

—Daily Mail