Full-time: Hearts 2-2 celtic
That’s your lot! Osman Sow’s thunderous equaliser salvages a draw for Hearts and Celtic are forced to settle for a point that edges them one clear of Aberdeen at the top of the table. Celtic lost the lead twice and they will be kicking themselves. They’ve picked up one point from their last two games but they do have a game in hand on Aberdeen, so it could be worse. Thanks for reading and emailing. Bye.
90 min+3: Hearts have another free-kick in the Celtic half, near the centre circle. Another opportunity to pressurise Celtic. But nothing comes from it. One minute to go.
GOAL! Hearts 2-2 Celtic (Sow, 90 min+4)
Just as the board goes up to show four minutes of stoppage time, Sow rescues a point for Hearts with a preposterous goal! Bauben taps the free-kick to Sow and he spanks a wobbler into the top right corner from 30 yards! The ball moved a thousand different directions in the way - possibly because of a deflection off Mackay-Steven - and Gordon could only stand and watch.
90 min: King is tripped 30 yards from goal. Here’s a chance for Hearts!
88 min: The lively Billy King scoots inside from the right, but his left-footer is drilled a few yards wide of the near post.
87 min: Hearts bring on Zanatta for Gomis. “I take Raymond Reardon’s point,” says Simon McMahon. “But maybe Dundee could go down instead?”
86 min: Or maybe there are. King sends a superb cross into the six-yard box, but it’s headed away by Ambrose.
85 min: There aren’t too many signs of a Hearts equaliser.
81 min: Just booked, Ciftci pushes his luck with an overly aggressive attempt to win the ball. He gets away with it.
80 min: Hearts bring on King for Reilly.
79 min: Oshaniwa provokes the ire of the home fans with a dismal cross. Then it’s the turn of the referee to wind them up when he decides not to send off Ciftci for leading with an arm in an aerial challenge with Augustyn. Ciftci is booked.
Updated
78 min: Tom Rogic, who looks like being the matchwinner, is replaced by Gary Mackay-Steven.
77 min: No, they can’t, the corner is a risible disgrace.
76 min: Hearts have been struggling to build any momentum since the Celtic goal, but they’ve got a corner here. Can they do anything with it?
73 min: Lustig attempts to find Ciftci in the area with a cross from the right. It’s headed behind for a corner on the right. Lustig heads the corner over at the near post.
72 min: Ambrose makes a timely intervention to stop a surge from Bauben on the edge of the Celtic area. “As SPL teams are precluded from ground sharing, Dundee United, by dropping a division would allow for a sparkling new stadium to be built in Dundee that could be shared by both Dundee teams if say Dundee United stayed down for say 5 years,” says Raymond Reardon.” If Simon McMahon could see the benefit of society’s greater good at this time of the year rather than singular selfish hopes.”
GOAL! Hearts 1-2 Celtic (Rogic, 70 min)
This has been coming. The ball breaks to Rogic on the edge of the area. He opens up his body, picks his spot and guides a beautiful shot into the top right corner with his left foot, the ball satisfyingly thudding into the net off the underside of the bar. That is a superb goal.
69 min: Bauben slides a ball through to Reilly, piercing the Celtic defence, but the alert Gordon smothers it. “Tynecastle is certainly one of the most atmospheric grounds in Scotland, the crowd being very close to the pitch,” says Simon McMahon. “Sounds like a good game, Celtic softening the Jambos up for when United visit on Wednesday. I’m actually in the kitchen preparing for the annual mother-in-law Christmas visit. She’s been coming round to our house at Christmas for 20 years now. This year we’re going to let her in. HONK!”
67 min: Celtic are utterly dominant. A second goal looks likely.
64 min: Augustyn is booked for fouling Ciftci on the right flank. He’s not impressed, arguing that he should have had a free-kick for an earlier incident.
62 min: Hearts bring on Pallardo for the injured Djoum.
61 min: Forrest picks up the ball on the left touchline, drops a shoulder and dips inside. He moves ominously on to his right foot, but he drags a shot wide from the edge of the area.
58 min: Lustig darts down the right and pings a cross into the Hearts area. It’s met on the run by Johansen, but the Celtic midfielder clips his effort well wide.
55 min: A lull. This game is excellently poised. It’s so even.
52 min: After an age, both players are back to their feet. Ambrose is booked and the free-kick is wastefully directed straight to the first man. All that wait for nothing.
50 min: Oshaniwa and Lustig are back. Rejoice! Play resumes with Hearts probing down the left. Djoum nicks the ball round the lumbering Ambrose, who clumsily chops him down and manages to injure himself in the process. Djoum is also down. A yellow card awaits Ambrose when he gets up.
49 min: Oshaniwa is the first to get back to his feet and he’s soon followed by Lustig, who limps off gingerly. Both teams are down to 10 men for the time being.
48 min: Play is stopped after a heavy collision between Oshaniwa and Lustig. They both need urgent treatment. Celtic have already seen two players gone off injured.
46 min: Off we go again! Let’s hope that the second half is as engrossing as the first. It will be if this is anything to go by. Augustyn makes a hot piping mess out of a simple clearance on the left and he has his pocket pinched by Ciftci, who drives into the area and wallops a low blast towards the far corner, only to be denied by a magnificent save from a fuming Alexander.
Half-time: Hearts 1-1 Celtic
That was very entertaining.
GOAL! Hearts 1-1 Celtic (Nicholson, 45 min+1)
What a brilliant goal. Bauben is allowed too much space on the right and from a deep position he swings a cross towards the far post, where Nicholson has the run on Lustig. The right-back tries to put Nicholson off but he’s floundering; Nicholson leaps into a gleeful volley with the outside of his right boot and the ball flies past Gordon and into the top left corner! Hearts deserve that. What a response.
Updated
45 min: Celtic fancy a second before half-time. Forrest diddles his way into the area from the left and he’s almost tripped by Augustyn. He stays on his feet and reaches the byline, but his cutback, intended for Ciftci, is cut out. There will be three minutes of stoppage time.
GOAL! Hearts 0-1 Celtic (Biton, 42 min)
All that Hearts pressure and now look. Hearts fail to clear the ball properly and when it falls to McGregor 40 yards from goal, he shows good composure to pick out the unmarked Bitton with a cool pass through to the midfielder. Hearts are all over the place and Bitton takes a touch, opens up his body and calmly slips the ball past the helpless Alexander.
40 min: Reilly is tormenting the Celtic back four. They can’t handle him. He beats two of them to a long ball down the right and he lifts a cross to the far post. However Nicholson is stretching and he can only volley wide.
38 min: Celtic absolutely bossed the first 10 minutes, but they are rocking at the moment. Those two substitutions appear to have disrupted them and remember, they were already without Leigh Griffiths and Scott Brown.
36 min: With Ambrose badly off the pace, Reilly speeds on to a long ball over the top and away from the dozing Celtic substitute. Reilly is through on goal and he aims for the far post with his left foot. However he slightly scuffs it and Gordon comes to Celtic’s rescue again, pushing the ball wide with his left hand. The corner comes to nothing, despite Hearts testing Celtic’s strength in the air, keeping the ball alive for as long as possible, before it’s eventually claimed by Gordon.
34 min: Djoum escapes down the left for Hearts, who are well on top at the moment, and slides a dangerous low ball across the face of goal. Reilly, sliding in, can’t meet it but it reaches Bauben at the far post. He shovels it towards goal and it looks like he’s going to score the opener - but he can’t quite get enough power on his effort and Gordon somehow dives to his left and claws it off the line and away for a corner! What a save. The Hearts goalkeeper reacts like he’s just scored the winner.
33 min: The substitute is finally made. Efe Ambrose is on for Boyata. Ambrose is cheered on by the Hearts fans, who have seen him make the odd howler or two.
Updated
30 min: Boyata is limping and clutching his hamstring. He tries to walk it off, but to no avail. He falls to the turf and he’ll surely have to go off.
29 min: Celtic get the free-kick away, but this is turning into a tricky spell for them.
28 min: A loose touch from Lustig inside the Celtic half presents the ball to Nicholson. He shows a lovely imaginative touch by knocking the ball over Lustig’s head and making towards the left flank, only to be sent flying by a poorly timed tackle from behind by Johansen, who rightly picks up a booking.
27 min: Hearts take a short corner. Statistics show that they never work.
26 min: The corner from Gomis is headed away as far as the edge of the Celtic area. Nicholson’s tame volley is easily held by Gordon, but it’s not long before Hearts win another corner on the right.
25 min: Nicholson flicks a throw-in down the line and Reilly momentarily peels away from Boyata, who uses his speed to recover well and concede a corner on the left.
24 min: A cross from Lustig from the right reaches Forrest at the far post. He controls on his chest, lobs the ball inside, over a defender’s head, and balloons a volley miles over the bar. Everything was brilliant there, except for the finish.
23 min: This is much better from Hearts, who are beginning to pressure Celtic higher up the pitch. Their fans are responding to their intensity.
21 min: Here comes the Celtic change. Forrest on, Armstrong off.
20 min: Celtic are preparing to bring on James Forrest. Armstrong has picked up a knock and won’t be able to continue.
17 min: Armstrong curls the free-kick into the Hearts area; it’s headed behind for a corner by Sow. Armstrong trots across to take the corner. It’s not a particularly good delivery, once again, but it’s allowed to bounce all the way to the far post. Simunovic stoops and nods it towards goal, but it’s straight at Alexander.
16 min: Parker is given a severe talking to by the referee after reacting angrily to being penalised for a foul on the left. Celtic have a free-kick in a promising position.
13 min: Heart attack for the first time. The ball is knocked long and Celtic’s centre-backs threaten to make one hell of a dog’s dinner out of getting it away. Simunovic heads it weakly back towards his own goal and with Craig Gordon not commanding enough in the Celtic goal as he attempts to smother the ball, Boyata hurriedly clears it away under severe pressure from Reilly.
10 min: The pitch appears to be sloped towards the Hearts goal, which isn’t very fair.
8 min: Celtic are passing and moving sweetly. They win another corner on the right. However McGregor disappoints again with his delivery, the ball headed away at the near post.
7 min: Hearts are nervous. They need to wake up. They give the ball away near their own area. Rogic uses his strength to muscle off a challenge, before thumping a shot goalwards. Alexander dives to his right to save and hold it.
6 min: Rogic gets his head up, gliding away from the Hearts midfield, and he rolls a pass through to Ciftci. He’s clear on the area and the ball is on his right foot. His first touch is good and his short towards the bottom right is struck firmly, but too close to Alexander, who saves it with a strong hand before jumping on the ball before anyone can tap home the rebound.
5 min: Celtic look up for this. Ciftci cifts the ball on to his right foot and has a pop from 25 yards, looking to curl the ball into the top left. It sails over.
4 min: Let’s try a quick poll. Do Celtic fans miss Rangers or do they want them to stay right where they are?
2 min: Celtic attack instantly, McGregor bursting down the right and winning a corner. That was too easy. However the corner comes out, McGregor’s overhit delivery drifting out for a goal-kick.
And we’re off! Hearts, kicking from right to left, get the game underway. Tynecastle is loud. The home fans fancy this.
Here come the teams! Hearts look confident and why not, Leigh Griffiths is out for Celtic. I’m a body language expert.
“While I recognize your good sentiments especially given the festive season in telling Simon McMahon that all will be well for his beloved Dundee United, methinks that giving false hope might do more harm than good,” says Mike Mackenzie. “I suspect it will take a divine intervention for Simon’s club to avoid the drop.”
To be honest, I didn’t read the email, it could be detailing the many reasons why Donald Trump is such a great lad. I’m just delighted to see I’ve doubled my readership!
Celtic, of course, are coming into this off the back of a 2-1 defeat at home to Motherwell. That was a shock and Hearts will be eager to see if Celtic are still vulnerable after that setback.
“Afternoon Jacob,” says Simon McMahon, who might be my only reader today. “Looking at today’s line-ups is making me all nostalgic. It’s like a Dundee United select from the last 5 years. Gomis and Buaben both played for us when we last won a trophy, the Scottish Cup in 2010, and Armstrong, Ciftci and Mackay-Steven were all at Tannadice this time last year, when we were riding high in the league and on our way to the League Cup final. Scott Allan started his career with United too. But look at us now. Just the 10 points behind the team in second bottom. With a trip to Tynecastle on Wednesday, then Dens on January 2. Oh United! Tell me it’ll be ok, Jacob. Please.”
It will be ok, Simon.
These two have met twice already this season. It was a 0-0 draw at Celtic Park in the league in September and a 2-1 win for Celtic when they visited Hearts in the League Cup quarter-final in October.
The teams!
Hearts: Alexander, Paterson, Augustyn, Rossi, Oshaniwa, Bauben, Djoum, Gomis, Nicholson, Reilly, Sow. Subs: Hamilton, McGhee, Ozturk, Pallardo, Swanson, King, Zanatta.
Celtic: Gordon; Lustig, Boyata, Simunovic, Tierney; Bitton, Johansen; McGregor, Rogic, Armstrong; Ciftci. Subs: Bailly, Izaguirre, Ambrose, Allan, Mackay-Steven, Cole, Forrest.
Referee: Steve McLean.
Preamble
Hello. There’s an interesting look at the top of the Scottish Premiership, but it’s a little deceptive. They’ve got joint leaders up there! Aberdeen are level with Celtic! Yet look a bit closer. Aberdeen missed the chance to go clear yesterday, drawing 2-2 at home with Inverness, and Celtic have two games in hand on them. The first of those takes them to Edinburgh, where they face an awkward test against a decent Hearts side, who are riding high in third. Yet Hearts are 10 points off Celtic. They need a win today to keep this competitiveness.
Kick-off: 2pm.
Updated
