Celtic move three points clear at the top
Hearts 1 - 4 Celtic
Clinical Celtic opened up a three-point gap at the top of the Scottish Premiership with a commanding victory over Hearts at Tynecastle.
With Aberdeen suffering their first league defeat of the season earlier in the day, Brendan Rodgers' side seized the opportunity to establish clear daylight between themselves and the Dons for the first time this campaign.
Celtic were sluggish in the first half, though, and were lucky to head into the break level. Blair Spittal and Lawrence Shankland both squandered excellent chances to put Hearts ahead.
The second half, however, was a completely different story. Kyogo Furuhashi broke the deadlock with his seventh goal of the season, pouncing on a deflected clearance by Daniel Oyegoke after Craig Gordon's initial save.
Minutes later, Nicholas Kühn doubled the lead with a superb counter-attacking goal, finishing clinically to put Celtic firmly in control.
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Adam Idah added a third, finishing off a well-worked passing move on the edge of the box, despite Gordon’s valiant attempts to keep the score down.
Hearts pulled one back late on through substitute Musa Drammeh, who unleashed a thunderous strike from distance to beat Kasper Schmeichel.
But Celtic had the final say. Idah scored his second of the game from the penalty spot deep into stoppage time after James Forrest was fouled by Jorge Grant, capping off a dominant second-half display.
The result leaves Hearts in 11th place, just one point above city rivals Hibernian, who remain rooted to the foot of the table.
Celtic were in total control: My analysis
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Despite being 0-0 after 45 minutes, it felt almost inevitable that we would turn it on after the break. These are the standards Rodgers has set.
Kyogo was limited to just six touches in the opening period, but his first meaningful contribution of the match was to do what he does best, slotting home the opening goal after a sharp stop from Gordon.
Kuhn continued his impressive season with a powerful left-footed shot that found the top corner, showcasing his confidence and skill.
Rodgers made several changes to the lineup, demonstrating the strength of his squad's depth. This was particularly evident in Idah's performance off the bench.
The Irish striker has a talent for scoring goals and presents a different challenge to Kyogo. Having a player of his quality, available as a substitute is a huge advantage for the manager.
We now carry momentum into Wednesday's Champions League match against Club Brugge, as they seek to maintain their positive performance in European competitions.
