The Jambos Push Eight Points Clear Clear at Top Following Shankland's Spot-Kick Overcomes The Hoops
A historic moment didn't occur at Tynecastle, with it being far too early for such milestones. The encounter underlined is that Heart of Midlothian are at least in with serious opportunity of ending Scottish football's long-standing dominance by two. That advantage stands at eight points for the team over the visitors, whom they easily dispatched. Catch them if you can.
Key Moments in the Second Half
A crucial three-minute spell made the difference, after an opening period that was contested closely. The striking aspect after they took a 3-1 lead was how untroubled the remainder of the game was for the home side. Alexandros Kyziridis doubled the lead, drifting inside before blasting a strike past the motionless the goalkeeper. Delight increased in the stands, Dane Murray fouling the Hearts player for a spot-kick that Lawrence Shankland tucked away. The Celtic manager cut such a disconsolate figure; he hardly has his troubles to seek.
The crowd erupted after Kyziridis (second right) puts Hearts 2-1 up against the opposition.
The Visitors' Fightback
Celtic had actually recovered well from the hosts' quick opening. Murray, who had a difficult day, scored an own goal due to confusion when trying to remove a delivery from Shankland. Celtic edged their way back into the game, the captain Callum McGregor, finishing a Kieran Tierney pass for level terms.
Solid Backline
The Hearts goalkeeper Schwolow, who had denied from Benjamin Nygren in the first half, parried an Engels shot which touched Tómas Magnússon. Halkett stopped a Yamada attempt in the dying moments. Hearts were otherwise untroubled as the clock ticked down. “We remain resolute” has become the favoured chant at the stadium. It's hard to ignore the noise.
- Detailed coverage to follow.
