You have to feel for Hearts. A total of 250 days at the top but champions Celtic lifted themselves one more time to come from behind and win the William Hill Championship with a 3-1 victory at raucous Celtic Park.
Martin O’Neill, Celtic’s 74-year-old manager, was all smiles as his men won their fourth title in a row and their 55th in all, but Hearts have had a magnificent season, earning a club record, 80 points, only falling short at the final hurdle.
Callum McGregor, Celtic’s captain, told Sky Sports: “For the first time ever I’m speechless. You can see what it means. What a season. Everyone wrote us off. We knew we would get a chance if we kept going and going. What a special group of people.”
Earlier, Jordi Altena was in for Hearts along with Stephen Kingsley but Claudio Braga was on the bench after nursing a twinge for the last two weeks and it was all Celtic in the opening minutes, pressing the Jambos back and forcing a corner on the eft. Auston Trusty headed wide.
Hearts broke and won a throw on the left. Harry Milne delivered and Lawrence Shankland (pictured) landed in a heap in the six-yard box. He appealed but referee Don Robertson waved his protests away.
Back in the Hearts penalty area, Michael Steinwender nodded the ball away for a corner to repulse another Celtic attack, but Arne Engles’ corner flew high and wide of the far post.
Hearts re-grouped and Pierre Landry Kabore won a throw near the Celtic by line. The move ended when Milne shot wildly from just inside the box.
Minutes later Milne was on duty again with a long throw and Benjamin Nygren floored the former Partick Thistle player for a free-kick. Alexandros Kyziridis corned the ball into the box and it was cleared for a corner.
Kingsey took the kick but it was an easy take for Celtic goalkeeper Viljami Sinisalo.
Seconds later there was real concern on the Hearts bench when Steinwender was tackled heavily and had to hobble off with what looked like a hip injury. The Austrian defender re-joined the fray but Frankie Kent was noted to be warming up on the sidelines.
The Jambos were struggling to get a grip on the game as Celtic moved the ball around, but the home side found it tough to break through the resolute Jambos rearguard and Kabore picked up a lose ball in the Celtic half and fed Shankland. He fed Kabore whose shot was blocked.
Hearts then won a throw in deep in the Celtic half and Shankland headed wide. Kabore had a chance but fired wide. Hearts were on a roll.
At the other end, Alistair Johnston then flattened Altena on the edge of the Jambos box, but the player continued after treatment, and goalkeeper Alexander Schwolow sent the ball deep into the Celtic half. The play was swiftly transferred to the Hearts penalty area and Nygren sent an inviting ball into the box but there were no takers.
Hearts’ Aussie defender, Cammy Devlin, was put under intense pressure in midfield and the ball came back to Sebastian Tounekti but Schwolow gathered and Johnston brought down the impressive Altena. The Canadian received his second yellow card of the season, the first dished out in the game.
Altena then ventured up the pitch and a promising move ended when the Dutchman lashed over. Seconds later a Milne, Shankland and Kabore move saw the Burkina Faso forward try his lunck from range. It was blocked.
This game ranged from end of end and Steinwender was next into the book for a desperate tackle on Daizen Maeda.
Hearts then won a corner on the right. The first one was sent short and petered out but they received another chance. This time Kingsley delivered to the far post and Shankand stole in to net behind Johnston. GOAL HEARTS. Time 43 minutes and 752 Hearts fans tucked away in a corner of the vast stadium belted out: “We shall not be moved.”
Celtic upped a gear and their pressure won a penalty after Scotland and former Arsenal defender, Kieran Tierney, darted down the left and hit Kyziridis on the hand at the edge of the box as the Greek forward slid in to block. The incident happened in injury time. VAR ran a check but a penalty stood and Engels took the responsibility.
The Belgian-born player sent the ball low and hard into the bottom left hand corner to extend his record to ten out of ten. All tied up at 1-1 at the break.
A major blow to the Jambos.
Celtic introduced Kelechi Iheanacho for the ineffectual Kounekti and, seconds later, Hearts brought on Kent for Altena then Beni Baningime fell to the turf unchallenged in midfield and clutched his left leg. A hamstring injury looked the reason and he left the field distraught. Blair Spittal was introduced.
Kabore hit the deck after a Nygren challenge and the Swede was booked. Kyziridis and Kingsley weighed up the situation and the Greek failed to find the target from an angle.
At the other end, Yang threatened, but the ball was cleared for a corner. Kent mopped up.
Celtic piled on the pressure and there was some desperate defending by the Men in Maroon who were rarely seen in the Celtic half at this stage.
Kyziridis was then felled by Trusty for a follow through and the Greek looked in real pain as he was being given treatment on the field. He resumed on the hour mark and Yang won a corner after a Kyziridis challenge.
Tierney launched the ball into the box but Schwolow kept cool to gather. James Forrest prepared to come on for Yang as Hearts won a corner on the right and Kingsley’s ball evaded everybody and ran harmlessly out of play.
Derek McInnes, Hearts’ head coach, then gambled by sending on Braga for Kabore along with Alan Forrest for Kyziridis and Islam Chesnokov for Milne. Maeda then headed just wide after he beat Milne in the air.
Chesnokov’s first touch on the right hand side of the pitch stung Celtic. He picked the ball up just inside The Hoops half and drove for the by line. The ball was scrambled away but Hearts kept up the pressure with Spittal throwing long. Celtic scrambled the ball away in this all-action and tense tussle before a packed house in Glasgow.
The Jambos fans tried to rally their troops as Martin O’Neill brought on Marcelo Saracchi for Tierney and Callum Osmand for Trusty as Celtic mounted another raid via Osmand after a great pass from Iheanacho, a big chance but Kent mopped up exceptionally well under real pressure.
Then Celtic won a free-kick in a central area just outside the box. Real stress for Hearts as Engels and Nygren sized up the opportunity. Engles fired yards wide of the right-hand post.
Devlin earned a yellow card for the foul and Alan Forrest had a glimmer at the other end before Iheanacho fired against Hearts right-hand upright with his left boot. The ball rebounded to safety.
This was back-to-the-wall for McInnes’ men and Schwolow made a tremendous save from Nygren. Hearts were under siege.
Celtic make a habit of scoring late-on and Hearts were hanging on as the clock ticked over 80 minutes. A nerve-jangling last ten was in the offing and Maeda shot for goal but Osmand was offside.
Some fans could not look, others had their hands on their head. Other hid behind their scarves. The strain was showing on and off the pitch. It could not have been more tense and Hearts fans will remember the agony of Dens Park when Albert Kidd fired two late goals to deny them all those years ago.
Hearts did have a chance and Braga failed to react when the Jambos won a corner on the left. Then Celtic broke. VAR was called in after Maeda slotted from a cross on the left. Time 87min 38sec. Referee Robertson signalled goal and Celtic Park erupted. Hearts fans were devastated.
That left Hearts having to perform a miracle escape. Nygren left the action as the noise reached a crescendo and eight minutes of stoppage time was signalled, eight minutes to claim the goal which would earn them the title.
Spittal sent long from the sideline. Hearts won a corner. Kingsley sent the ball into the danger area and Steinwender headed wide.
Could this be 1986 revisited? Bedlam ensued on the Celtic terraces as Stuart Findlay was pushed up front. Shankland and Saracchi were involved in an exchange then Maeda and Shankland clashed as the stunned Jambos fans watch on in silence. This match and the title was quickly slipping away.
Maeda was shown a yellow card for kicking the ball away as Hearts pressed forward. Spittal found Devlin, the ball was cleared as the action raged on. Braga was fouled by Celtic skipper McGregor who earned his ninth yellow card of the season.
Schwolow came upfield and the ball from a free-kick rebounded clear. Three Celtic players raced upfield and substitute Osmand slotted into the empty net. Game over, pandemonium with fans spilling onto the field. Heartbreak for the Jambos.
