THRILL OF THE CHASE! Rodgers insists Bhoys get a kick out of meeting every new target he sets

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers believes his players’ tendency to pursuit down each people enactment successful beforehand of them is what sets them isolated from the remainder of the competition.

The Northern Irishman saw his broadside travel from down to instrumentality the 3 points against Hibernian yesterday successful their penultimate location crippled of the season.

A travel to Pittodrie is adjacent up connected Wednesday, earlier the Premiership trophy is presented astatine Celtic Park connected Saturday, and Rodgers has challenged his men to guarantee they support their fantabulous location signifier and interruption a long-held grounds successful the process.

‘I’ve been mounting galore targets for them,’ helium said. ‘Of course, going into this artifact of games, we had items that we wanted to achieve.

‘I deliberation determination was a grounds fig of goals astatine home, which was 62 successful a league season, erstwhile Martin [O’Neill] was present successful 2003/04. So we’re present connected 61, with 1 crippled to go. So we’ll beryllium bare to marque trophy time special. But I’ve besides fixed them targets to execute beyond winning the trophies, and truthful you spot the hunger successful the squad successful bid to execute those.’

Martin Boyle opened the scoring for the visitors midway done the archetypal play against the tally of play, earlier 2 goals successful speedy succession courtesy of Nicolas Kuhn and Adam Idah turned the crippled connected its head, with Reo Hatate netting the 3rd aft the break.

A delighted Rodgers said: ‘To beryllium a squad of dominance, you request to counter-press the game.

‘Against a squad similar Hibs who are very, precise good, you spot it truthful galore times erstwhile they support well, similar they’ve done, past they interruption retired with velocity and pace, and the strikers up front, they tin beryllium a existent handful.

‘But today, however we pressed the crippled from the archetypal infinitesimal to the end, made maine truthful arrogant of the team. Just that ethic and mentality to win, and past that gave america the level to play our football.’

Idah took his tally to 19 successful each competitions for the play astatine the play aft passing up respective chances earlier yet getting connected the scoresheet. The Irish guardant hasn’t been abbreviated of critics since making a big-money determination from Norwich City successful the summer, but helium insists helium takes nary announcement of his doubters.

When asked if helium feels overmuch of his bully enactment goes unnoticed, helium replied: ‘Yes, 100 per cent. I enactment with the expert and a batch of the staff, and there’s a batch of things I consciousness I tin bring to the game. Some unselfish runs that I marque that volition make abstraction for different players.

‘A batch of that does spell unnoticed, and I get it. Fans aren’t going to beryllium looking astatine that, they privation to spot goals.

‘It tin beryllium frustrating, but astatine the extremity of the time if I’m not making runs, if I’m not getting the shots away, I’m not going to score. It’s conscionable astir that consistency.’

Hibs manager David Gray, meanwhile, believed the timing of the goals proved pivotal to his side’s undoing.

‘You cognize erstwhile you bash get chances present you person to instrumentality them, which we did take, to find ourselves 1-0 up successful the game,’ helium said. ‘I thought the signifier was good, the subject was bully wrong it.

‘And past the goals we suffer are mediocre goals, but besides the timing of it arsenic well, truthful to be  1-0 up with 5 minutes to spell earlier half-time, to past beryllium 2-1 down earlier half-time… it was hard for the players.’

Gray besides paid tribute to erstwhile Hibs owner, Sir Tom Farmer, who passed distant connected Friday.

Farmer stepped successful to prevention the nine from a hostile takeover successful 1990, and remained a bulk shareholder for astir 3 decades, overseeing 2 League Cup wins and a celebrated Scottish Cup triumph successful 2016 — with past skipper Gray grabbing the celebrated winner.

‘Really bittersweet news,’ helium reflected. ‘He’s not kept peculiarly good for a wee portion now, but for everything he’s done for the shot club, saved the nine astatine a clip of need, it’s a bittersweet time for everyone involved, and the thoughts are with his household astatine this time.

‘That was a existent privileged infinitesimal for myself to beryllium progressive with the nine connected that (Scottish Cup winning) time and I cognize however overmuch it meant to perfectly everyone, but nary much truthful than him I’m sure.’