Hearts Push 8 Points Clear Ahead at the Pinnacle Following Shankland's Spot-Kick Overcomes The Hoops
History wasn't made at Tynecastle, with it being far too early for such milestones. The encounter underlined is that Heart of Midlothian are at least in with credible shot of breaking Scottish football's four decade-long dominance by two. They now lead by eight points for the team over their rivals, whom they comfortably swatted aside. Try to chase them down.
Turning Point in the Latter Period
A brief but pivotal phase made the difference, following a tight first half that was evenly matched. It was remarkable after they took a 3-1 lead was how stress-free the closing stages of the game was for the home side. The Greek winger netted the second goal, moving infield before firing a powerful effort past the stationary the Celtic keeper. Delight increased in the stands, Murray bringing down Braga for a foul that the captain slotted home. Brendan Rodgers cut such a disconsolate figure; he hardly has his troubles to seek.
The crowd erupted after Alexandros Kyziridis (second right) scores to make it 2-1 against Celtic.
Hoops' Reaction
The away side responded positively from an early setback. The defender, who endured a torrid afternoon, scored an own goal due to panic when trying to clear a Shankland cross. They gradually fought back into the game, the captain McGregor, scoring a Kieran Tierney pull-back for the equaliser.
Stubborn Defence
The shot-stopper Schwolow, who had denied from Benjamin Nygren in the first half, parried an Engels shot which flicked off Magnússon. Halkett blocked a Shin Yamada attempt in stoppage time. Hearts were otherwise untroubled as the minutes passed. “We shall not be moved” has become the Tynecastle verse of choice at the stadium. It's hard to ignore the noise.
- Complete analysis to follow.