The Jambos Push Eight Points Ahead Ahead at the Pinnacle After Shankland's Penalty Kick Sees Off Celtic
History wasn't made at their home ground, as it's far too early for such milestones. The encounter underlined is that Heart of Midlothian possess a real serious opportunity of breaking Scottish football's 40-year dominance by two. They now lead by eight points for Hearts over their rivals, whom they comfortably swatted aside. The challenge is now for others.
Turning Point in the Second Half
A brief but pivotal phase were key, following a tight first half that was contested closely. The striking aspect after they took a 3-1 lead was how stress-free the remainder of the game was for the Tynecastle team. Alexandros Kyziridis scored Hearts’ second, moving infield before blasting a strike past the static the Celtic keeper. Soon there was further euphoria in the stands, Dane Murray bringing down the Hearts player for a spot-kick that Shankland slotted home. Rodgers cut such a disconsolate figure; he hardly has his troubles to seek.
Supporters began celebrating after Kyziridis (second right) scores to make it 2-1 against the opposition.
Hoops' Reaction
Celtic bounced back from an early setback. Murray, who had a difficult day, scored an own goal due to confusion when trying to deal with a delivery from Shankland. The Hoops worked their way into the game, skipper McGregor, scoring a Tierney cutback for 1-1.
Hearts' Defensive Resilience
The shot-stopper Schwolow, who had saved superbly from Benjamin Nygren in the first half, blocked an Engels shot which flicked off Tómas Magnússon. Craig Halkett blocked a Yamada attempt in added time. Hearts were otherwise untroubled as the game concluded. “We remain resolute” has become the popular anthem at Tynecastle. One cannot overlook the noise.
- Full report to follow.
