The Tynecastle side Push 8 Points in Front at the Pinnacle After Lawrence Shankland's Penalty Kick Overcomes The Hoops
History wasn't made at Tynecastle Park, with it being far too early for such landmarks. This game highlighted is that Heart of Midlothian have a genuine credible shot of ending Scottish football's 40-year dominance by two. That advantage stands at eight points for the team over their rivals, whom they comfortably swatted aside. Catch them if you can.
Turning Point in the After the Break
Three second-half minutes made the difference, following a tight first half that was contested closely. The striking aspect after they took a 3-1 lead was how comfortable the closing stages of the game was for the Tynecastle team. The Greek winger netted the second goal, drifting inside before blasting a strike past the static the goalkeeper. Soon there was further euphoria in the stands, Dane Murray bringing down Cláudio Braga for a penalty that the captain converted. The Celtic manager cut such a disconsolate figure; challenges abound for him.
Fans start to rejoice after Alexandros Kyziridis (second right) scores to make it 2-1 against Celtic.
Hoops' Reaction
Celtic had actually recovered well from an early setback. Murray, who struggled throughout, scored an own goal due to confusion when trying to remove a delivery from Shankland. The Hoops worked their way into the game, the captain Callum McGregor, scoring a Tierney pull-back for 1-1.
Hearts' Defensive Resilience
The Hearts goalkeeper Schwolow, who had saved superbly from Nygren in the first half, kept out an Engels shot which touched Tómas Magnússon. Craig Halkett blocked a Yamada attempt in the dying moments. Hearts were otherwise untroubled as the game concluded. “We stand firm” has become the favoured chant at the stadium. It's hard to ignore the buzz.
- Full report to follow.
