Hearts Move 8 Points Clear Ahead at the Summit After Lawrence Shankland's Penalty Kick Overcomes The Hoops
History wasn't made at Tynecastle Park, since it's far too early for such landmarks. The encounter underlined is that the Edinburgh club are at least in with strong chance of breaking Scottish football's four decade-long stranglehold. They now lead by eight points for the maroon side over Celtic, whom they easily dispatched. Catch them if you can.
Turning Point in the Second Half
Three second-half minutes proved decisive, after an opening period that was fiercely fought. The striking aspect after Hearts surged 3-1 in front was how stress-free the closing stages of the game was for the Tynecastle team. Alexandros Kyziridis doubled the lead, drifting inside before blasting a strike past the static the Celtic keeper. Delight increased in the stands, the Celtic defender fouling Braga for a penalty that Shankland tucked away. Rodgers appeared frustrated; he hardly has his troubles to seek.
Fans start to rejoice after Kyziridis (second right) puts Hearts 2-1 up against Celtic.
The Visitors' Fightback
The away side responded positively from an early setback. Dane Murray, who struggled throughout, turned the ball into his own net due to haste when trying to remove a delivery from Shankland. The Hoops worked their way into the game, the captain McGregor, finishing a Tierney pull-back for level terms.
Hearts' Defensive Resilience
The shot-stopper Alexander Schwolow, who had denied from Nygren in the first half, blocked an Arne Engels shot which flicked off Magnússon. Halkett stopped a Shin Yamada attempt in stoppage time. They comfortably saw out the game as the minutes passed. “We remain resolute” has become the Tynecastle verse of choice at the ground. It's hard to ignore the buzz.
- Detailed coverage coming soon.
