Hearts Move Eight Points Clear Ahead at the Summit After Shankland's Spot-Kick Defeats Celtic
A historic moment didn't occur at their home ground, as it's far too early for such milestones. The encounter underlined is that Hearts are at least in with serious opportunity of disrupting Scottish football's long-standing stranglehold. They now lead by eight points for Hearts over Celtic, whom they comfortably swatted aside. Catch them if you can.
Turning Point in the After the Break
A crucial three-minute spell made the difference, following a tight first half that was contested closely. The striking aspect after they took a 3-1 lead was how untroubled the closing stages of the game was for the home side. Kyziridis scored Hearts’ second, moving infield before blasting a strike past the motionless the Celtic keeper. Delight increased in the stands, the Celtic defender upending the Hearts player for a foul that Shankland tucked away. Brendan Rodgers looked dejected; challenges abound for him.
Fans start to rejoice after Alexandros Kyziridis (second right) puts Hearts 2-1 up against Celtic.
Hoops' Reaction
The away side responded positively from Hearts’ rapid start. Dane Murray, who struggled throughout, scored an own goal due to haste when trying to deal with a ball into the box. The Hoops worked their way into the game, leader McGregor, finishing a Tierney pass for level terms.
Hearts' Defensive Resilience
The keeper Schwolow, who had denied from Benjamin Nygren in the first half, kept out an Arne Engels shot which flicked off Tómas Magnússon. Halkett stopped a Yamada attempt in added time. They comfortably saw out the game as the minutes passed. “We shall not be moved” has become the favoured chant at the ground. It is becoming increasingly difficult the noise.
- Full report coming soon.
