The Jambos Move Eight Points Clear Clear at the Pinnacle Following Shankland's Penalty Kick Sees Off Celtic
A historic moment didn't occur at Tynecastle, with it being far too early for such achievements. The encounter underlined is that the Edinburgh club are at least in with credible shot of disrupting Scottish football's four decade-long title duopoly. They now lead by eight points for Hearts over their rivals, whom they comfortably swatted aside. The challenge is now for others.
Turning Point in the After the Break
A brief but pivotal phase made the difference, once the initial exchanges that was evenly matched. The striking aspect after they took a 3-1 lead was how comfortable the rest of the game was for the home side. Kyziridis netted the second goal, moving infield before blasting a strike past the stationary the Celtic keeper. More joy followed in the stands, Dane Murray fouling Braga for a spot-kick that Shankland tucked away. Rodgers cut such a disconsolate figure; his problems are mounting.
Fans start to rejoice after Alexandros 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 Shankland cross. They gradually fought back into the game, the captain McGregor, scoring a Tierney pass for the equaliser.
Stubborn Defence
The shot-stopper Schwolow, who had saved superbly from Benjamin Nygren in the first half, blocked an Engels shot which flicked off 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 popular anthem at Tynecastle. It is becoming increasingly difficult the noise.
- Full report to follow.
