The Tynecastle side Move 8 Points Ahead Clear at the Summit Following Lawrence Shankland's Spot-Kick Overcomes The Hoops
We did not witness at Tynecastle Park, as it's far too early for such milestones. The encounter underlined is that Heart of Midlothian are at least in with credible shot of disrupting Scottish football's 40-year stranglehold. Make that an eight-point lead for the team over the visitors, whom they easily dispatched. Try to chase them down.
Decisive Period in the Second Half
A brief but pivotal phase proved decisive, after an opening period that was fiercely fought. The striking aspect after they extended their advantage was how comfortable the closing stages of the game was for the Tynecastle team. The Greek winger scored Hearts’ second, moving infield before firing a powerful effort past the stationary the Celtic keeper. Delight increased in the stands, the Celtic defender bringing down Braga for a spot-kick that the captain slotted home. Rodgers cut such a disconsolate figure; he hardly has his troubles to seek.
The crowd erupted after Kyziridis (second right) scores to make it 2-1 against the opposition.
The Visitors' Fightback
Celtic had actually recovered well from an early setback. Dane Murray, who struggled throughout, conceded an own goal due to confusion when trying to deal with a ball into the box. The Hoops worked their way into the game, leader McGregor, scoring a Tierney pull-back for the equaliser.
Solid Backline
The shot-stopper Schwolow, who had denied from Benjamin Nygren in the first half, parried an Engels shot which touched Tómas Magnússon. Halkett stopped a Yamada attempt in the dying moments. They comfortably saw out the game as the clock ticked down. “We stand firm” has become the Tynecastle verse of choice at the stadium. It is becoming increasingly difficult the noise.
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