The Jambos Push 8 Points Ahead Ahead at the Summit After Shankland's Penalty Kick Overcomes The Hoops
History wasn't made at their home ground, with it being far too early for such milestones. The encounter underlined is that Hearts have a genuine strong chance of ending Scottish football's four decade-long title duopoly. That advantage stands at eight points for the maroon side over Celtic, whom they comfortably swatted aside. The challenge is now for others.
Decisive Period in the Second Half
Three second-half minutes were key, once the initial exchanges that was evenly matched. What was so notable after they extended their advantage was how untroubled the remainder of the game was for the home side. Alexandros Kyziridis doubled the lead, moving infield before blasting a strike past the motionless the Celtic keeper. Soon there was further euphoria in the stands, the Celtic defender fouling the Hearts player for a foul that the captain tucked away. The Celtic manager looked dejected; his problems are mounting.
Fans start to rejoice after Kyziridis (second right) scores to make it 2-1 against Celtic.
Hoops' Reaction
Celtic had actually recovered well from an early setback. Murray, who endured a torrid afternoon, scored an own goal due to haste when trying to remove a ball into the box. The Hoops worked their way into the game, skipper Callum McGregor, finishing a Tierney pull-back for the equaliser.
Solid Backline
The Hearts goalkeeper Schwolow, who had made a brilliant stop from Benjamin Nygren in the first half, parried an Engels shot which touched Tómas Magnússon. Craig Halkett blocked a Shin Yamada attempt in the dying moments. The hosts faced little else as the minutes passed. “We remain resolute” has become the popular anthem at the ground. One cannot overlook the noise.
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