The 250-day stay of Hearts at the summit of the Scottish Premiership came to a dramatic end when they were defeated by Martin O’Neill’s Hoops 3-1 at Celtic Park yesterday afternoon, thus making Celtic the league champions for the fifth year in a row.
Having only needed a draw to guarantee themselves the title for the first time since 1960, becoming the first non-Old Firm club to lift the trophy since Alex Ferguson’s Aberdeen in 1985, Hearts were ahead in the match until Celtic substitute Callum Osmand stole the show with an incredible performance after a penalty decision made by video technology.
The Match Action
As expected, the clash between two title-hungry teams started out cautiously. Although Celtic enjoyed plenty of possession from the outset against a boisterous crowd of green shirts, they found it difficult to penetrate the Hearts defense led by Stephen Kingsley and Alexandros Kyziridis.
It took until near the halftime whistle to get things started in favor of the visitors and spark euphoria among the away fans. It was another fine delivery from Stephen Kingsley who whipped in a dangerous corner from the left, finding the unmarked Lawrence Shankland. The latter reacted sharply, smashing a header past Viljami Sinisalo and into the top corner of the net.
But like in their mid-week game against Motherwell, Celtic received a controversial reprieve deep into injury-time. Tierney sent in a low cross which hit the hand of Kyziridis when he slid in to challenge the Celtic midfielder. Even though it looked as though Kyziridis’ arm was in its natural position, the referee awarded the penalty. Celtic’s Arne Engels slotted home the spot-kick to restore parity at 1-1.
Kelechi Iheanacho and Callum Osmand were brought on by Celtic midway through the game and completely surrounded the Hearts goal. Iheanacho almost conjured up some magic by getting past Schwolow with a stunning shot that just missed the outside of the post.
The pressure finally burst the dam in the 89th minute when Osmand made a perfect run to get behind the Hearts defense, pulling the ball back across the six-yard box where Daizen Maeda diverted it home. The goal was ruled out for being offside but a long delay via the VAR showed Maeda was not offside in the first pass, reversing the decision and giving Celtic the lead.
With their title hopes fading fast, Derek McInnes sent Schwolow forward for one final desperate attempt with a free kick. Celtic cleared the danger and Osmand ran almost the full length of the pitch without anyone challenging him before calmly passing the ball into the empty net in the 99th minute. It was mayhem on the pitch as Celtic fans rushed onto the pitch and forced the referee to end the game early by 30 seconds.
Data Debrief: Hearts Break at the Death
- The 41-Year Monopoly: Celtic’s win has assured that the Old Firm monopoly is alive and kicking in the Scottish Premier League for yet another season – its 41st straight year.
- Heartbreak Again: For Hearts, this means falling short at the last hurdle just like in their infamous year 1986 when they lost out on the title in the final seconds to their old rivals.
- The Penalty Debate: There is no doubt that the controversial first-half penalty shifted the momentum entirely in Celtic’s favour. Celtic earned five penalties this season through handballs – two more than any other club.
- Expected Dominance: Despite all the controversies, Celtic did deserve to come back from behind in the second half with 2.82 xG against Hearts’ paltry 0.96.
The Aftermath
Parkhead witnessed history being made as Martin O’Neill marched his troops around the field amidst the madness. The last-gasp fightback by the Hoops, heavily reliant on key penalty calls and late-winning goals, was sufficient for them to take the edge off their Scottish Capital City counterparts.
Derek McInnes and Hearts will rue this momentous day when they look back at the season. Having dominated the summit for so many weeks and heading into the season finale in first place, the contentious handball ruling against Kyziridis will certainly grab plenty of column inches in Edinburgh.
“We asked them to rip up the script, but it just wasn’t to be,” McInnes noted before the match, a sentiment that ultimately proved tragically prophetic for the Jambos.
Match Summary
Final Score: Celtic 3-1 Heart of Midlothian
Goals: Engels (45+4′ PEN), Maeda (89′), Osmand (90+9′); Shankland (44′)
Venue: Celtic Park
