The Jambos Push Eight Points Clear in Front at Top Following Lawrence Shankland's Spot-Kick Overcomes Celtic
History wasn't made at their home ground, with it being far too early for such achievements. The encounter underlined is that the Edinburgh club have a genuine credible shot of breaking Scottish football's 40-year title duopoly. They now lead by eight points for the team over the visitors, whom they easily dispatched. Catch them if you can.
Decisive Period in the Second Half
A brief but pivotal phase made the difference, once the initial exchanges that was evenly matched. What was so notable after they took a 3-1 lead was how stress-free the closing stages of the game was for the home side. Kyziridis doubled the lead, moving infield before blasting a strike past the motionless the goalkeeper. Delight increased in the stands, Dane Murray bringing down the Hearts player for a foul that Shankland tucked away. The Celtic manager appeared frustrated; he hardly has his troubles to seek.
The crowd erupted after Alexandros Kyziridis (second right) scores to make it 2-1 against Celtic.
Hoops' Reaction
The away side responded positively from an early setback. Murray, who struggled throughout, turned the ball into his own net due to panic when trying to deal with a ball into the box. They gradually fought back into the game, skipper McGregor, scoring a Kieran Tierney pass for level terms.
Stubborn Defence
The Hearts goalkeeper Schwolow, who had denied from Nygren in the first half, parried an Engels shot which deflected off Magnússon. Halkett thwarted a Yamada attempt in added time. They comfortably saw out the game as the minutes passed. “We shall not be moved” has become the popular anthem at the ground. It is becoming increasingly difficult the excitement.
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