The Tynecastle side Move Eight Points Clear at Top Following Shankland's Spot-Kick Overcomes The Glasgow Giants
We did not witness at Tynecastle, as it's far too early for such landmarks. The encounter underlined is that the Edinburgh club are at least in with credible shot of disrupting Scottish football's long-standing title duopoly. Make that an eight-point lead for the maroon side over the visitors, whom they easily dispatched. Try to chase them down.
Turning Point in the Second Half
Three second-half minutes made the difference, once the initial exchanges that was contested closely. What was so notable after they took a 3-1 lead was how comfortable the closing stages of the game was for the hosts. The Greek winger netted the second goal, cutting in from the left before blasting a strike past the motionless Kasper Schmeichel. More joy followed in the stands, Murray upending Cláudio Braga for a foul that Shankland converted. The Celtic manager looked dejected; his problems are mounting.
The crowd erupted after Kyziridis (second right) puts Hearts 2-1 up against the opposition.
The Visitors' Fightback
Celtic had actually recovered well from the hosts' quick opening. Dane Murray, who had a difficult day, scored an own goal due to confusion when trying to deal with a ball into the box. They gradually fought back into the game, the captain Callum McGregor, turning home a Kieran Tierney cutback for 1-1.
Solid Backline
The Hearts goalkeeper Alexander Schwolow, who had saved superbly from Nygren in the first half, kept out an Engels shot which deflected off Magnússon. Craig Halkett stopped a Yamada attempt in the dying moments. The hosts faced little else as the minutes passed. “We remain resolute” has become the favoured chant at the ground. It's hard to ignore the noise.
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