Captain Lawrence Shankland break the internet as Heart star mocks Celtic and their fans
Hamstrung Celtic can’t stop Hearts being talk o’ the toun – it’s Rangers they have to worry about
Champions’ moments are all too fleeting as Jam Tarts remain impenetrable
In the end, all three title contenders were probably satisfied with a share of the spoils between defending Premiership champions Celtic and leaders Hearts at Tynecastle.
The 2-2 draw in Gorgie was most likely greeted the loudest by the vast majority inside Ibrox as Rangers won 3-0 over Dundee. It is Govan outfit that has made the biggest gains this weekend, moving into second place and four points behind the Jam Tarts. Celtic, in third, are a further two points adrift.
But make no mistake, the Old Firm are going to have to go some to usurp Hearts. Derek McInnes’ team remains a bloody tough nut to crack.
Celtic led not once but twice at Tynecastle, yet Hearts showed the required fortitude to respond on each occasion. By the end, with the visitors down to ten men following a red card to Auston Trusty, it was them clinging on for dear life as Hearts battered away at the door. Another five minutes and they might have broken through it.
As McInnes pointed out afterwards, this is not a purple patch for Hearts. Oh no. They’ve been top for four months and if they can double that, they’ll be champions in May. Fifteen games remain in an engrossing three-horse title race.
While Celtic can point to their own absentee list – Cameron Carter-Vickers, Alistair Johnston, Jota and more – this was the first time that Hearts played this season without three of their top players. Midfield duo Beni Baningime (suspended) and Cammy Devlin (injured) were joined on the sidelines by captain and talismanic forward Lawrence Shankland, whose hamstring will keep him out for potentially seven more weeks. It was a display of their depth that they coped here.
Marc Leonard, signed on Friday on loan from Birmingham City, grew into the midfield battle and by the end was running proceedings. Landry Kabore led the line with pace and energy, earning the red card from Trusty. The pair more than earned their corn.
Tynecastle remains Hearts’ fortress
Defeat would have punctured some of Hearts’ invincibility but as it is, they are yet to lose at home this season. Two defeats all term point to a team wearing champions’ clothing. They have all the minerals to go all the way.
Do Celtic, however? This was not a convincing display from Martin O’Neill men, who were running on fumes come the end. A patchwork backline of Julian Araujo, Dane Murray, Liam Scales and Anthony Ralston just held firm. My goodness do they need reinforcements in defence. And in other areas too.
On-loan Borussia Moenchengladbach striker Tomas Cvancara was given his debut. He spent the first half in Hearts centre-half Craig Halkett’s pocket but found his way out of it after the break, setting up Celtic’s second goal. He was withdrawn minutes afterwards, partly because of a yellow card for a needless barge on Halkett, the other – as O’Neill revealed – because he was “feeling his hamstring”.
Celtic do not need another of those. They are hamstrung enough as it is. Down to third now, they are as low as a Celtic team has been this century.
O’Neill has steadied the ship since salvaging it from Wilfried Nancy and they clearly have talent on board. They took the lead through a whipped Benjamin Nygren free-kick on seven minutes past Craig Gordon, who was preferred to Alexander Schwolow in the Hearts goal. Their second goal, on 62 minutes, was a lovely break down the left flank from Cvancara and a low cross finished emphatically by Yang Hyun-jun. Those moments, though, were all too fleeting.
Fatigue played a part on the back of Thursday’s 2-2 draw at Bologna. Nancy’s iteration would have lost this hands down. Fortitude will only get Celtic so far in this title race. More finesse and flamboyance needs to be added swiftly. The midfield trio of Callum McGregor, Arne Engels and Nygren did not dominate as we have seen Celtic do in the past. There is a case for all areas of the team needing spruced up before the transfer window closes on February 2.
Hearts appeared slightly dazed by the opening goal but rediscovered their poise quickly enough. Alexandros Kyziridis missed a really good chance on 35 minutes when Trusty miscontrolled a Michael Steinwender long ball. Celtic keeper Kasper Schmeichel made a good save but a better finish would not have allowed him to.
No matter, Hearts levelled in 47 minutes. Set-pieces remain a constant source of threat for them and Stuart Findlay towered highest at the back post to nod in a Leonard corner.
The big VAR moment
McInnes lamented the way Celtic cut through them for Yang’s goal after Halkett was outstripped for pace by Cvancara. Had the visitors managed to keep a full complement of players on the pitch, then they may have held out. Trusty’s tug on Kabore as he pulled away from him towards goal initially brought a yellow card, but referee Steven McLean was invited by VAR to review and the rest is history.
Hearts were going to score; the question was how many before time was up. Kieran Tierney was the latest Celtic defender to succumb to injury and Hearts frantically bombarded the champions. Kyziridis shot straight at Schmeichel on 85 minutes but moments later, another cross was flung into the penalty box, Oisin McEntee headed it down and Claudio Braga rammed it home.
An ebullient Tynecastle roared for a winner. Substitute Blair Spittal nearly found it in eight minutes of stoppage time but his rasping drive clipped the bar. It was the last roll of the dice.
These two will meet again after the split. Celtic have yet to beat Hearts this season. Neither have Rangers. On the most recent evidence, it is the blue half of Glasgow that carries the most threat to boys in maroon, who remains the talk o’ the toun.
