The Jambos Push Eight Points Clear Clear at Top Following Shankland's Spot-Kick Sees Off Celtic
A historic moment didn't occur at Tynecastle Park, as it's far too early for such milestones. This game highlighted is that the Edinburgh club possess a real credible shot of breaking Scottish football's long-standing dominance by two. That advantage stands at eight points for the team over Celtic, whom they easily dispatched. Catch them if you can.
Key Moments in the Second Half
A brief but pivotal phase were key, once the initial exchanges that was contested closely. What was so notable after they took a 3-1 lead was how untroubled the remainder of the game was for the hosts. Kyziridis doubled the lead, drifting inside before blasting a strike past the motionless the goalkeeper. More joy followed in the stands, the Celtic defender bringing down the Hearts player for a spot-kick that Lawrence Shankland converted. 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.
The Visitors' Fightback
The away side responded positively from Hearts’ rapid start. The defender, who struggled throughout, conceded an own goal due to confusion when trying to remove a delivery from Shankland. They gradually fought back into the game, skipper McGregor, scoring a Kieran Tierney pull-back for 1-1.
Stubborn Defence
The keeper Schwolow, who had made a brilliant stop from Nygren in the first half, kept out an Arne Engels shot which touched Tómas Magnússon. Halkett thwarted a Yamada attempt in added time. Hearts were otherwise untroubled as the game concluded. “We stand firm” has become the favoured chant at Tynecastle. It's hard to ignore the noise.
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