🔗 Share this article Hearts Push 8 Points in Front at the Summit After Lawrence Shankland's Spot-Kick Defeats Celtic We did not witness at their home ground, with it being far too early for such achievements. The encounter underlined is that Heart of Midlothian are at least in with credible shot of breaking Scottish football's 40-year stranglehold. That advantage stands at eight points for the team over the visitors, whom they easily dispatched. Try to chase them down. Decisive Period in the Second Half A brief but pivotal phase made the difference, after an opening period that was fiercely fought. It was remarkable after they extended their advantage was how untroubled the remainder of the game was for the home side. The Greek winger scored Hearts’ second, cutting in from the left before blasting a strike past the static the goalkeeper. More joy followed in the stands, Murray bringing down Cláudio Braga for a foul that Shankland slotted home. Rodgers looked dejected; his problems are mounting. Fans start to rejoice after Alexandros Kyziridis (second right) gives Hearts the lead against Celtic. Hoops' Reaction Celtic bounced back from Hearts’ rapid start. Murray, who had a difficult day, scored an own goal due to haste when trying to remove a ball into the box. They gradually fought back into the game, leader Callum McGregor, scoring a Kieran Tierney pass for level terms. Hearts' Defensive Resilience The shot-stopper Alexander Schwolow, who had made a brilliant stop from Nygren in the first half, parried an Engels shot which touched Tómas Magnússon. Halkett stopped a Shin Yamada attempt in the dying moments. The hosts faced little else as the game concluded. “We stand firm” has become the favoured chant at the ground. One cannot overlook the noise. Full report coming soon.