Celtic extended their lead at the top of the Bank of Scotland Premier League to 22 points over Rangers with a 1-0 home win against Hibernian.

The visitors arguably shaded an open first-half but a Craig Beattie header nine minutes after the interval gave the Hoops all three points.

To add to the visitors' depression, substitute Ivan Sproule, on at half-time for Michael Stewart, was shown a straight red card four minutes from time for a reckless challenge on Hoops full-back Lee Naylor.

The Parkhead side took another step towards retaining their title but no-one should be surprised.

This game was built up in some quarters as the battle between two of Scotland's most attractive sides but more sober judges pointed to the 26-point gap between the pair before kick-off as evidence of yet another potential mis-match in the east end of Glasgow.

Hibs had twice taken the lead against the Glasgow side this season, only to finish with a 2-1 defeat and a 2-2 draw.

So, there was no logical reason, apart from a desire to see an injection of excitement into the normally one-sided league games at Parkhead, to suggest the points would be leaving for Leith.

The champions, who last tasted defeat at home in the SPL in November 2005 in a shock reverse against Dunfermline, stuttered in the first-half but, once they went ahead, victory was assured.

Despite so many changes from their last outing, the home side started with impressive cohesion, the lively Kenny Miller flashing a header from close-range past the near post with only two minutes gone.

Hibs, with midfielder Scott Brown captain for the day, struggled to get to grips with the game as the Hoops streamed forward trying, with a fair amount of success, to find gaps in the Easter Road rearguard.

Former Hibs player Paul Hartley and Shunsuke Nakamura looked in the mood in the Parkhead midfield and Beattie's running promised a tough afternoon to the visiting defence.

In the 16th minute, Beattie missed a decent chance from a Nakamura corner, failing to connect properly with his header eight yards out.

But Hibs immediately sprang on the counter-attack and should have scored when Stewart sent Guillaume Beuzelin clear of the chasing Celtic defence.

But, with only keeper Artur Boruc to beat, the Frenchman drove wide of the target from 20 yards.

As the interval approached, the champions began to reassert themselves a little and Beattie headed a Lee Naylor cross over the bar.

But Hibs were not for lying down and Boruc then had to make two good saves, one from Beuzelin and another from Sean Lynch.

The visitors' resilience lasted only nine minutes into the second-half before the Hoops got the breakthrough through Beattie.

Aiden McGeady picked the ball up on the left, jinked inside Kevin McCann and whipped a cross into the penalty area where the Celtic striker bulleted a header past Andrew McNeil from around 10 yards out.

The pressure, which had been slowly building up inside Parkhead, immediately dissipated.

Just after the hour mark, there was a loud penalty claim from the home fans when Chris Hogg and Shelton Martis challenged Miller inside the Hibs penalty area as the Scotland international shaped to shoot past McNeil but referee Stuart Dougal waved play on.

Dougal then strangely booked Hartley, apparently for not leaving the field to have a cut on his leg treated.

Hibernian's earlier belief appeared to have deserted them but some slack play by the Celtic defence in the 73rd minute required Naylor to launch into a tackle to prevent Sproule latching onto a Steven Fletcher cross 12 yards from goal.

The match was drifting but, in the 86th minute, the increasingly-frustrated Sproule was shown a straight red card for a reckless challenge on Naylor near the technical areas.

Hoops manager Gordon Strachan raced on to remonstrate but Dougal calmed the situation down quickly before sending the Irishman packing.

Teams:

Celtic Boruc, Wilson, Pressley, McManus, Naylor, Nakamura,Lennon, Hartley, McGeady, Beattie, Miller (Gravesen 78).

Subs Not Used: Brown, O'Dea, Sno, Jarosik, Telfer, Sheridan.

Booked: Hartley.

Goals: Beattie 54.

Hibernian McNeil, McCann, Martis, Hogg, Murphy,Stewart (Sproule 46), Beuzelin, Scott Brown, Stevenson,Fletcher, Lynch (Benjelloun 59).

Subs Not Used: Simon Brown, Shiels, Morrow, McCluskey, Chisholm.

Sent Off: Sproule (86).

Booked: Stevenson.

Att: 59,659

Ref: S Dougal (Scotland).