The Tynecastle side Extend Eight Points Clear at the Pinnacle After Shankland's Penalty Kick Sees Off The Hoops
History wasn't made at Tynecastle Park, as it's far too early for such milestones. The encounter underlined is that the Edinburgh club have a genuine credible shot of disrupting Scottish football's 40-year dominance by two. Make that an eight-point lead for the maroon side over their rivals, whom they easily dispatched. Try to chase them down.
Decisive Period in the Second Half
A brief but pivotal phase made the difference, after an opening period that was evenly matched. The striking aspect after they extended their advantage was how stress-free the remainder of the game was for the home side. The Greek winger scored Hearts’ second, drifting inside before firing a powerful effort past the stationary the Celtic keeper. Delight increased in the stands, the Celtic defender upending Cláudio Braga for a spot-kick that the captain tucked away. Rodgers looked dejected; his problems are mounting.
The crowd erupted after Alexandros Kyziridis (second right) scores to make it 2-1 against the opposition.
The Visitors' Fightback
Celtic had actually recovered well from Hearts’ rapid start. The defender, who had a difficult day, scored an own goal due to confusion when trying to remove a delivery from Shankland. They gradually fought back into the game, the captain Callum McGregor, turning home a Tierney pull-back for level terms.
Hearts' Defensive Resilience
The shot-stopper Alexander Schwolow, who had saved superbly from Benjamin Nygren in the first half, kept out an Arne Engels shot which touched Tómas Magnússon. Craig Halkett stopped a Yamada attempt in the dying moments. They comfortably saw out the game as the clock ticked down. “We shall not be moved” has become the favoured chant at the ground. It's hard to ignore the excitement.
- Complete analysis to follow.
