Hibs striker Florian Kamberi reduced the deficit in the 63rd minute with a thunderous drive, only for Hoops forward Odsonne Edouard to restore the two-goal advantage six minutes later.

Speedy wide-man Martin Boyle then made it 3-2 in the 73rd minute but Edouard's second goal in the 87th minute kept Celtic three points behind leaders Hearts, who beat Aberdeen 2-1 at Tynecastle.

It was an exhausting afternoon in the east end of Glasgow.

Celtic skipper Scott Brown, back from a hamstring complaint and in the side at the expense of striker Leigh Griffiths who was ill, was booked in the second minute for a foul on midfielder Emerson Hyndman at the edge of the box, but Stephen Mallan's curling free-kick slipped just past keeper Craig Gordon's right-hand post.

The home side came back and Callum McGregor's cross found Edouard but his angled drive on the slide clipped the outside of the post.

Hibs defender Darren McGregor, back for the first time since August after recovering from a knee injury, was then booked for a foul on James Forrest and Callum McGregor's whipped-in free-kick almost caught out keeper Adam Bogdan before hitting the bar on the way over.

Celtic's first goal came after eight minutes when Rogic played a one-two with Forrest outside the Hibs box and glided left before bending the ball into the corner of the net past the flailing Bogdan.

As the play raced from end to end the Easter Road keeper produced a fine save from Ntcham's powerful 25-yard drive, but in the 19th minute the French midfielder took a perfectly-weighted Rogic pass and from 16 yards he guided the ball low into the corner.

Moments later, Brown limped off to be replaced by winger Scott Sinclair with Callum McGregor seamlessly dropping into midfield.

In the 31st minute Celtic came close to adding a third.

Bogdan did well to parry a drive from Edouard after he had been played in by Ntcham, and after Sinclair crashed the loose ball off the post, Forest fired the rebound wide from 12 yards.

Three minutes from the break Gordon was required to make a decent save from Mallan's long-distance thunderbolt, then made a brilliant stop to deny Boyle's header from an Efe Ambrose cross.

Soon after the restart Bogdan had to race from his line to thwart Sinclair, but just after the hour mark the Edinburgh side were back in the game.

Midfielder Daryl Horgan drove at the Hoops box before moving the ball left to Kamberi and the Swiss attacker made a yard of space before firing high across Gordon and into the far corner of the net.

A long-run by Edouard, where he fended off ex-Celt Efe Ambrose, ended with him curling a shot off the post but moments later he was in the right place to take Forrest's cut-back and side-foot in Celtic's third goal.

It was breathless stuff, and when Boyle raced through the middle of the Parkhead defence to cleverly dink the ball over Gordon it was game on again.

In the final minutes Bogdan foiled Ntcham, but with three minutes remaining, and play stretched, Callum McGregor set up Edouard, who knocked the ball in from 12 yards to settle matters, with the post denying him his hat-trick in added time.