Hearts Move 8 Points Clear at the Summit Following Lawrence Shankland's Spot-Kick Defeats The Hoops
A historic moment didn't occur at Tynecastle Park, with it being far too early for such achievements. The encounter underlined is that Heart of Midlothian possess a real credible shot of disrupting Scottish football's long-standing title duopoly. They now lead by eight points for Hearts over Celtic, whom they comfortably swatted aside. Catch them if you can.
Turning Point in the Second Half
Three second-half minutes made the difference, after an opening period that was evenly matched. It was remarkable after they extended their advantage was how comfortable the rest of the game was for the Tynecastle team. Kyziridis netted the second goal, moving infield before thumping a right-footed shot past the stationary the goalkeeper. More joy followed in the stands, the Celtic defender upending Cláudio Braga for a foul that Shankland tucked away. Brendan Rodgers appeared frustrated; he hardly has his troubles to seek.
Supporters began celebrating 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. Dane Murray, who had a difficult day, scored an own goal due to haste when trying to remove a delivery from Shankland. They gradually fought back into the game, the captain Callum McGregor, finishing a Tierney pull-back for level terms.
Stubborn Defence
The keeper Schwolow, who had denied from Nygren in the first half, kept out an Arne Engels shot which deflected off Tómas Magnússon. Halkett blocked a Yamada attempt in added time. The hosts faced little else as the clock ticked down. “We stand firm” has become the popular anthem at the ground. It's hard to ignore the excitement.
- Full report to follow.
