Match Highlights and Key Moments
45+3 mins: The decision appears harsh but consistent with common rulings. Although there was no deliberate hand movement towards the ball, it clearly made contact.
45+2 mins: Kyziridis attempts to block Tierney’s cross from the left with a sliding challenge. His right hand is raised, and the ball strikes it directly.
Penalty Awarded to Celtic!
45+2 mins: A penalty is awarded to Celtic for handball during stoppage time.
45+1 mins: The referee signals three minutes of added time. Gordon from Aberdeen comments, "It is a great occasion but not a great game so far. Hearts won’t care, though, if it stays like this. Celtic fans are heaping pressure on their own team with the groans and boos at every misplaced pass by the home team." Since then, the momentum has shifted further in Hearts’ favor.
GOAL! Celtic 0-1 Hearts (Shankland, 43 mins)
A remarkable corner kick leads to the opening goal. Shankland positions himself well outside the crowded penalty area, receiving the ball as it dips beyond the far post, and finishes with precision.
42 mins: A long throw-in is headed behind by Scales. Hearts press in the penalty area, but Kingsley plays a backward pass deep to Kyziridis, which is poorly executed. Hearts regain possession and earn another corner.
40 mins: Steinwender, the standout player of the half, wins a free kick near his own penalty area. Schwolow clears the ball long.
38 mins: Celtic find some space, but Kabore’s toe-poke is blocked by Scales. Steinwender receives a booking for attempting, unsuccessfully, to stop the attack. Celtic win a corner as a result.
37 mins: Celtic mount an attack with Altena shooting from 25 yards, but the shot goes wide and over the bar.
36 mins: Hearts defend solidly but spend too much time under pressure. Schwolow repeatedly clears the ball long, allowing Celtic to regain possession and build play.
35 mins: The first yellow card of the match is shown to Johnston for tripping Jordi Altena.
34 mins: Over a third of the match has elapsed with the score still 0-0. Celtic dominate possession, but Hearts’ tactical approach is effective.
32 mins: Celtic register their first shot on target as Tounekti fires from around 20 yards, but Schwolow saves comfortably.
31 mins: Reflecting on a past match between Watford and Aston Villa, where a player with limited possession scored a decisive long-range volley, the strategy of leaving Celtic’s Trusty unmarked but ineffective is noted.
29 mins: Sky Sports statistics reveal that Trusty has had twice as many touches as the next most involved player, indicating Hearts’ deliberate tactic to isolate him.
27 mins: Nygren controls the ball 40 yards from goal and attempts a pass to Maeda, who is briefly open, but the ball runs behind him.
25 mins: Celtic’s long throw is headed away by Steinwender and Altena, who is then fouled by Johnston. Hearts’ medical staff attend to Altena.
23 mins: A quarter of the match played with only one notable attempt on goal, Trusty’s header in the third minute.
20 mins: Celtic circulate the ball around their defense before launching it over Hearts’ defense to Yang Hyun-Jun, who is dispossessed by Milne’s challenge as the offside flag is raised.
19 mins: Hearts attempt to play Maeda through, but Steinwender intercepts and limps away after the challenge.
17 mins: Steinwender returns to the pitch after treatment. The match has passed its first sixth.
15 mins: Steinwender leaves the field for treatment amid boos from the crowd, followed by boos when Celtic return possession to Hearts.
14 mins: Hearts play forward towards Johnston, but Steinwender intercepts. Johnston’s raised knee contacts Steinwender’s thigh, prompting medical attention.
12 mins: A free-kick leads to a corner, which is delivered into Sinisalo’s hands.
10 mins: Milne’s long throw is headed away, but Nygren fouls Milne, resulting in a free-kick for Hearts to deliver into the box.
9 mins: Milne nutmegs Johnston but overhits a cross out of play.
8 mins: Engels’ cross arcs over the area and out of play.
7 mins: Tierney’s excellent pass finds Engels in the penalty area, but he can only force a corner.
5 mins: Hearts send in a long throw, flicked on by Steinwender, but no teammate is able to capitalize. Shankland believes he was unfairly impeded, but no penalty is awarded.
3 mins: From a corner, Auston Trusty heads over the bar.
2 mins: Celtic win a corner early on. Hearts had a poor start in their recent match against Falkirk, and Celtic look poised to exploit any repeat.
1 min: Hearts begin aggressively. Johnson is played down the right and delivers a low cross that is blocked by a defender.
Kick-off is signaled by referee Don Robertson. The players face significant pressure, especially the referee tasked with overseeing this crucial match.
The anthem "You’ll Never Walk Alone" is sung as Celtic’s players huddle before kickoff.
Pre-Match Insights and Team News
Martin O’Neill discusses his message to the team after naming an unchanged side for the first time since December:
"It’s the same message as before, just try and win the game. It’s as simple as that. We’re in a position over the last number of weeks where we’ve got in here, now let’s make the most of us. We’ve kept the starting lineup from Motherwell and we’ll try to take it on from there.
We have to, at the end of 90-odd minutes, we have to try and find ourselves in front, but I don’t think there’s any point going gung-ho and find yourself behind because you’ve been hit on the break. Hopefully we can manage the situation.
I’ve got to say I’m really excited. We’ve strived hard to close the gap week after week and now we’ve got a chance on our home ground to try and do something with the crowd right behind us."
Derek McInnes shares his thoughts with Sky Sports:
"Just to have the confidence and belief that we can get a result here. We’ve played Celtic three times this season and they’ve failed to beat us. We ain’t playing 60,000 we’re playing the same players that have tried to beat us all season. We look relaxed and hopefully we can bring another performance. The performances have been there this season, that’s why we’re in this position. Whoever comes out on top will deserve to win the league. It’s so difficult to set up a team to play for a draw. For me here, the intention always is to make sure we’re pretty secure, but then as the game goes we’ve got to make sure we’re attacking as well as trying to defend."
On Claudio Braga being on the bench:
"He’s struggling a wee bit with a groin injury, we’ve been trying to manage it for a couple of weeks. It’s not ideal. We think he’ll be able to give us something. We don’t think he can give us 90 minutes. It’s not ideal Claudio not being fully fit, but I think he’s still going to have a big part to play."
Historical Context and Preview
Ewan Murray provides a historical perspective on this match and its significance:
This Hearts story did not begin with Stuart Findlay’s late winner at Tannadice in August, a stoppage-time intervention from Alexandros Kyziridis against Livingston later that month or the September victory at Ibrox that materially fuelled belief among Derek McInnes’s squad. Brian Cormack, Alex Mackie, Jamie Bryant, Donald Ford and Garry Halliday will not feature in the Hearts team seeking to create history at Celtic Park but that quintet set this club on a path that after 16 years has almost – though only almost – reached the ultimate glory point.
Cormack and Mackie joked back then, when among a group establishing the Foundation of Hearts, that one day they would watch the team they love compete in the Champions League from a new main stand at Tynecastle Park. With the stand complete, Hearts will enter the Champions League’s qualifying phase this summer. Humour proved prescient. In the west of Edinburgh, as Hearts pursue the point they need in Glasgow on Saturday to win the title for the first time since 1960, original FoH directors will gather to watch together. Their role in Hearts’ rise should never be forgotten.
Hearts make three changes to their lineup, dropping Frankie Kent, Claudio Braga, and Blair Spittal to the bench, and introducing Stephen Kingsley, Pierre Landry Kabore, and Jordi Altena. Celtic make no changes.
The Teams
Celtic: Sinisalo, Johnston, Trusty, Scales, Tierney, McGregor, Engels, Nygren, Yang, Tounekti, Maeda.
Subs: Doohan, McCowan, Iheanacho, Osmand, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Saracchi, Murray, Forrest, Ralston.
Hearts: Schwolow, Steinwender, Findlay, Kingsley, Altena, Baningime, Devlin, Milne, Kyziridis, Kabore, Shankland.
Subs: Fulton, Kent, McCart, Braga, Borchgrevink, Spittal, Forrest, Kerjota, Chesnokov.
Referee: Don Robertson.
Matchday Atmosphere and Background
The day has arrived when the Scottish Premiership title will be decided. Hearts visit Celtic Park needing to avoid defeat to secure the championship. Historically, Celtic have dominated Hearts at home with 23 wins in 24 games between 2009 and 2023, drawing the other. However, recent encounters have been more competitive, with Hearts winning two of the last five meetings, including their December victory this season.
Celtic’s form has been strong but inconsistent this week, requiring a controversial penalty to edge Motherwell 3-2, while Hearts convincingly defeated Falkirk 3-0.
Martin O’Neill addresses the controversy surrounding the penalty decision:
"Am I surprised? No, I’m not surprised because everybody wants Hearts to win. It’s really as simple as that. Everybody outside Celtic and the Celtic diaspora wants Hearts to win. And if it wasn’t Hearts, it would be Rangers, it’d be somebody else, that’s the nature of it.
Spare me the Celtic-against-the-world schtick, please. But it is undeniable that the overwhelming majority of neutrals would like to see someone other than Celtic and Rangers win the Scottish title, and this Hearts side seems pretty likeable."
Derek McInnes comments on the significance of the match:
"It’s a perfect ending to a season for the league, for Scottish football, for drama and excitement ... It’s pure box office. It’ll be bedlam, it’ll be an unbelievable atmosphere. There might be people out there who think everything’s back on script, ‘Celtic win their home game, they win the league.’ But we’ve ripped the script up so often this season, and we’ve got one more in us I think, and it’s up to us to try and make that happen."
Ewan Murray also provides insight on referee John Beaton and the fallout from the Celtic penalty decision, underscoring the intensity and scrutiny surrounding this pivotal fixture.
Hearts players motivate each other in front of a Celtic tifo shortly before kickoff, highlighting the charged atmosphere.
Hearts’ Michael Steinwender and Celtic’s Alistair Johnston contest possession fiercely during the match.
Celtic goalkeeper Viljami Sinisalo makes a crucial catch to maintain his team’s defensive stability.
Back in Edinburgh, Hearts supporters watch the title decider through the windows of the Tynecastle Arms, also known as the Diggers, demonstrating the widespread interest and passion for the match.
Hearts fans vocally support their team throughout the encounter.
Celtic fans display their support by holding scarves aloft in the stands.
