Hearts Move Eight Points Ahead at the Pinnacle After Shankland's Penalty Kick Defeats The Glasgow Giants

History wasn't made at Tynecastle, as it's far too early for such landmarks. This game highlighted is that Hearts are at least in with strong chance of disrupting Scottish football's four decade-long title duopoly. That advantage stands at eight points for the team over Celtic, whom they easily dispatched. Catch them if you can.

Decisive Period in the Second Half

Three second-half minutes made the difference, after an opening period that was evenly matched. The striking aspect after they extended their advantage was how comfortable the closing stages of the game was for the home side. The Greek winger scored Hearts’ second, moving infield before firing a powerful effort past the stationary Kasper Schmeichel. More joy followed in the stands, the Celtic defender bringing down Braga for a spot-kick that Lawrence Shankland converted. Brendan Rodgers looked dejected; he hardly has his troubles to seek.

Fans start to rejoice after Alexandros Kyziridis (second right) puts Hearts 2-1 up against the opposition.

Celtic's Response

Celtic had actually recovered well from Hearts’ rapid start. Dane Murray, who struggled throughout, turned the ball into his own net due to panic when trying to clear a delivery from Shankland. Celtic edged their way back into the game, leader McGregor, scoring a Kieran Tierney pass for the equaliser.

Stubborn Defence

The Hearts goalkeeper Alexander Schwolow, who had made a brilliant stop from Nygren in the first half, blocked an Engels shot which touched Tómas Magnússon. Craig Halkett thwarted a Shin Yamada attempt in stoppage time. They comfortably saw out the game as the minutes passed. “We remain resolute” has become the favoured chant at the ground. It's hard to ignore the excitement.

• Full report will be available.