Hundreds of Hearts fans turned their backs on the Tynecastle pitch and bounced up and down in a Poznan-style celebration as their favourites moved eight points clear of opponents Celtic after the top two in the William Hill Premiership went toe-to-toe in Gorgie.

It was a cutting move and one not appreciated by the small knot of Celtic fans in one small section of the Roseburn Stand.

So often, Hearts have suffered at the hands of The Bhoys. This time the boot was on the other foot and the Gorgie boys in the packed stands loved every minute.

The gesture came after the league pace-setting Jambos had moved to a 3-1 lead. On merit.

Yes, Celtic had chances, but they were fleeting. This new-look Hearts team, built on a solid core of last season’s players but with added speed, skill and devil introduced from foreign parts thanks to analytics and a shrewd signing policy, tore into the Parkhead side.

Claudio Braga, reared in Portugal, headed towards the Celtic goal and Kasper Schmeichel paumed it out and Hearts’ skipper, Lawrence Shankland, retrieved the ball near the goal-line and returned it into the danger area. Young Dane Murray sent the ball into the back of his own net for 1-0. The agony of that moment was etched on the 22-year-old’s face. Time eight minutes.

Goal No 2 came courtesy of darting Greek forward, Alexandros Kyziridis, after 52 minutes. He had been a real threat all came and he cut in from the right on this occasion, pretended that he was going to shoot but prodded the ball a few yards further on before burying the ball into the net for his fifth of the season. It’s a move he has been successful with before, a move which earned him a Goal of the Month award. Celtic fell for it. He went low not high on this occasion.

Braga came into focus again. Murray, yes the same player who was involved in the first Hearts goal, tripped the hard-working forward. Down he went. VAR was called in as Celtic goalkeeper, Schmeichel argued his side’s case with referee Steven McLean. The official confirmed the spot kick.

Shankland had stayed focused near the top of the penalty box during the delay, the ball cradled in his arm. He kept his composure and found the bottom corner past the despairing dive if the big Danish stopper. Time 55 minutes.

Celtic did have their moments. Skipper Callum McGregor slotted to level at 1-1 after a slick move involving Scotland international, Kieran Tierney. Time 12 minutes.

Derek McInnes, Hearts’ boss, was unhappy, feeling his men switched off. His German goalkeeper Alexander Schwolow, secured on a free, later made a magnificent one-handed stop from Celtic forward, Benjamin Nygren, lifting his arm to parry after the Swede had cleverly rolled the ball away from a Hearts defender before attempting to dink home. The Celtic player held his head in his hands in pure frustration.

There were other chances. Arne Engles, saw a shot slip just wide of the Hearts’ goal and substitute Luke McCowan, ex-Dundee, also saw a shot slip past, but Hearts were dominant for all but 20 minutes of this game.

It would be unfair not to mention terrier-like defender, Cammy Devlin, and Beni Baningime, who were towers of strength in midfield. Devlin and McGregor were closely linked all afternoon. Harry Milne also dug deep, as he usually does, but Hearts, to a man, picked up loose balls, closed opposing players down and harried those with the ball.

The starting 11 and the five substitutes, including fit-again Brazilian midfielder, Ageu, who was introduced after 68 minutes, basically, made it an uncomfortable afternoon for defending champions. Indeed, Ageu had a clear chance to make it 4-1 minutes after coming on after a four-man move.

Shankland, who it was revealed post-match, had practiced penalties in training on Saturday, according to his head coach, and he covered a vast amount of the pitch in the cause.

However, every Hearts player dug in, winning first and second balls and generally making it a bad day at the office for the visitors from the East End of Glasgow.

This was undoubtedly a team effort and it was typified by defender Craig Halkett late on, the 30-year-old, who has been plagued by injury in recent seasons, throwing himself at the ball to block two minutes into injury time at the end of a thoroughly entertaining match, if you were a devotee of the Men in Maroon, or a neutral watching on SkySports, of course.

The explosion of joy from the Hearts fans in the crowd of over 18,700 at the final whistle was there for all to see. They are enjoying this and why shouldn’t they?

Could there be more Poznan moments to come this season as the Gorgie men attempt to be more than noisy neighbours to the Old Firm? Time will tell, but Hearts have now gone 13 league matches unbeaten for the first time in 27 years. Not a bad start and no wonder the match DJ played U2’s Beautiful Day at the final whistle It went down well.   

Both managers played down the significance of the result, claiming there is a long way to go in the title race. McInnes stressed that he is attempting to keep the players’ feet on the ground. He told the media that the squad can improve and of his desire to maintain consistency.

He has been around the block but was quick to underline the valuable factors of teamwork and the togetherness in his dressing-room. The former Aberdeen and Kilmarnock boss said: “We have loads to do.”

First and foremost, his men have to re-focus quickly as they travel to St Mirren on Wednesday (19.45), a team smarting from a 3-1 weekend defeat at Dundee United.

McInnes indicated that this will be a difficult game and remember, The Buddies edged Hearts out of the Scottish League Cup in the second round on August 16, a competition also known as the Premier Sports Cup. The sides were level in Paisley at 1-1 at the end of the game but the home side won 5-4 on penalties.

His Celtic counterpart, Brendan Rodgers, said: “There are still so many points to play for, it’s so early, only nine games in.”

He’s correct, but Celtic are hurting and out of sorts and are at home to Falkirk in the William Hill Premiership on Wednesday (19.45). They also face Rangers in the Scottish League Cup, semi-final, on Sunday (14.00).

The pressure is on as Celtic have lost two league games in a row for the first time since 2023 and the fans are restless.

THANK YOU: Derek McInnes, Hearts’ had coach, salutes fans in the Main Stand as he leaves the pitch following the 3-1 home win over Celtic. Picture Nigel Duncan