Hearts Push Eight Points Clear Ahead at the Pinnacle Following Lawrence Shankland's Penalty Defeats Celtic
A historic moment didn't occur at Tynecastle, since it's far too early for such achievements. The encounter underlined is that the Edinburgh club are at least in with strong chance of disrupting Scottish football's long-standing stranglehold. That advantage stands at eight points for the maroon side over Celtic, whom they comfortably swatted aside. Try to chase them down.
Turning Point in the Latter Period
A crucial three-minute spell proved decisive, once the initial exchanges that was fiercely fought. It was remarkable after they extended their advantage was how stress-free the remainder of the game was for the Tynecastle team. The Greek winger scored Hearts’ second, cutting in from the left before blasting a strike past the stationary the goalkeeper. Soon there was further euphoria in the stands, the Celtic defender fouling Cláudio Braga for a foul that Shankland slotted home. Rodgers appeared frustrated; he hardly has his troubles to seek.
Supporters began celebrating after Kyziridis (second right) gives Hearts the lead against the opposition.
Celtic's Response
Celtic had actually recovered well from the hosts' quick opening. Murray, who endured a torrid afternoon, conceded an own goal due to panic when trying to remove a Shankland cross. The Hoops worked their way into the game, skipper McGregor, scoring a Kieran Tierney cutback for 1-1.
Hearts' Defensive Resilience
The shot-stopper Alexander 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 stand firm” has become the favoured chant at the stadium. It's hard to ignore the buzz.
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