The Jambos Extend Eight Points in Front at the Pinnacle Following Lawrence Shankland's Spot-Kick Defeats Celtic
History wasn't made at their home ground, with it being far too early for such achievements. The encounter underlined is that Heart of Midlothian are at least in with strong chance of breaking Scottish football's four decade-long dominance by two. That advantage stands at eight points for the team over Celtic, whom they easily dispatched. Try to chase them down.
Key Moments in the Second Half
A brief but pivotal phase were key, following a tight first half that was fiercely fought. The striking aspect after Hearts surged 3-1 in front was how stress-free the remainder of the game was for the home side. Kyziridis doubled the lead, moving infield before blasting a strike past the motionless the goalkeeper. Soon there was further euphoria in the stands, Dane Murray bringing down the Hearts player for a spot-kick that Shankland tucked away. Brendan Rodgers cut such a disconsolate figure; his problems are mounting.
The crowd erupted after Alexandros Kyziridis (second right) scores to make it 2-1 against Celtic.
The Visitors' Fightback
Celtic bounced back from Hearts’ rapid start. Murray, who struggled throughout, scored an own goal due to panic when trying to deal with a ball into the box. Celtic edged their way back into the game, the captain McGregor, scoring a Kieran Tierney cutback for level terms.
Stubborn Defence
The shot-stopper Schwolow, who had saved superbly from Nygren in the first half, blocked an Arne Engels shot which flicked off Tómas Magnússon. Halkett stopped a Yamada attempt in added time. Hearts were otherwise untroubled as the minutes passed. “We shall not be moved” has become the Tynecastle verse of choice at Tynecastle. It is becoming increasingly difficult the noise.
- Full report coming soon.
