The Tynecastle side Move 8 Points Clear Clear at Top After Lawrence Shankland's Spot-Kick Overcomes The Glasgow Giants
We did not witness at their home ground, with it being far too early for such milestones. The encounter underlined is that the Edinburgh club have a genuine serious opportunity of breaking Scottish football's 40-year dominance by two. That advantage stands at eight points for Hearts over their rivals, whom they comfortably swatted aside. Try to chase them down.
Key Moments in the Second Half
A brief but pivotal phase proved decisive, following a tight first half that was evenly matched. It was remarkable after they extended their advantage was how untroubled the closing stages of the game was for the Tynecastle team. The Greek winger netted the second goal, drifting inside before thumping a right-footed shot past the motionless Kasper Schmeichel. Soon there was further euphoria in the stands, Murray bringing down the Hearts player for a foul that the captain slotted home. Brendan Rodgers looked dejected; his problems are mounting.
The crowd erupted after Alexandros Kyziridis (second right) scores to make it 2-1 against the opposition.
Celtic's Response
The away side responded positively from an early setback. The defender, who had a difficult day, turned the ball into his own net due to confusion when trying to deal with a delivery from Shankland. The Hoops worked their way into the game, leader McGregor, scoring a Tierney pull-back for the equaliser.
Hearts' Defensive Resilience
The keeper Alexander Schwolow, who had saved superbly from Benjamin Nygren in the first half, parried an Engels shot which touched Tómas Magnússon. Halkett thwarted a Yamada attempt in added time. Hearts were otherwise untroubled as the game concluded. “We shall not be moved” has become the popular anthem at the ground. One cannot overlook the noise.
- Complete analysis to follow.
