Celtic moved three points clear of Rangers at the top of the Scottish Premier League with a home win over Hibernian that should have been more comfortable.

Captain Scott Brown, who returned after injury, gave the Hoops a fifth-minute lead with a powerful volley which Glenn Loovens added to just after the break when he headed in a Shaun Maloney corner.

Before that, the visitors, now with one win in nine this season, had failed to lay glove on the Parkhead side.

Former Celtic striker Derek Riordan pulled a goal back with a delightful chip to set up a nervy end to the game but Neil Lennon’s men held on to their lead to leapfrog their Old Firm rivals who play at Aberdeen today.

There was some debate over whether Brown deserved to come back into a team that had demolished Inverness 6-0 in midweek but the former Hibernian midfielder repaid Lennon’s enormous faith in him by grabbing the opener.

The game was settling down when Brown broke forward from midfield and worked a one-two with Anthony Stokes, a recent signing from Easter Road, before volleying past goalkeeper Mark Brown from 16 yards, his first goal since March.

There were plenty of nervous moments in the closing stages as the home side struggled to kill the game off but the win, when it was confirmed by the full-time whistle, was deserved.