In a thrilling Scottish Premiership clash, leaders Hearts fought back twice to earn a 2-2 draw with 10-man Celtic.
Touted as the biggest game of the season so far, Benjamin Nygren lived up to the hype by scoring a free kick to give the Hoops an early lead.
Stuart Findlay headed home the equaliser, after missing a chance from Alex Kouridis, but Yang Hyun-joong smashed in a great ball from new signing Tomas Kvankala to restore Celtic to the lead.
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Celtic’s Auston Trusty sent off after VAR review
Hoops defender Auston Trusty was sent off following a VAR review for a last-minute challenge, but Hearts equalized again when Claudio Braga smashed in the ball from a set-piece.
Rangers’ 3-0 win at Dundee moved Hearts four points clear at the top of the table, while Celtic dropped to third place, two points behind their Old Firm rivals.
Tynecastle thriller
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Benjamin Nygren’s superb free-kick put Celtic ahead against leaders Hearts.
The visitors got off to a perfect start in the seventh minute when Nygren took a wonderful free kick from 20 yards out and over Gordon’s left hand. It was the first time since 2021 that a Parkhead side had scored directly from a free-kick.
Home manager Derek McInnes was clearly furious at the nature of the celebrations by a member of the Hoops’ backroom staff and stormed towards Celtic’s technical area.
Hearts responded well and Braga and Kouziridis had great chances to equalize, but they were denied by Kasper Schmeichel as the Edinburgh side enjoyed most of the pressure in the first half.
The hosts continued their momentum after the break, and within three minutes of the restart, Findlay tied Leonard’s corner kick at the back post and into the net.
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Hearts scored from a corner kick, Stuart Findlay heading home to make it 1-1 against Celtic.
Hearts looked like they were going to take the lead in the 54th minute when Kouziridis was free in the box, but Liam Scales returned and made a superb goal save.
Celtic had contributed little in attack since that early goal, but Kvankala’s looping header into the crates in the same period served as a reminder of Celtic’s threat.
And the champions were on their way two minutes later when Kvankala burst onto the left and fired an exciting shot across the face of the goal to the outbound Jan, who slotted home from just a few yards out.
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Yang Hyun-joong gave champions Celtic the lead against Hearts.
Shortly after Kieran Tierney limped off with an injury, Trusty was reduced to 10 men for the second game in a row after a VAR check determined that Trusty had fouled Pierre Landry-Cabolet as he attempted to pounce on a through ball, denying him a chance to score.
Hearts earned an extra man count in the 87th minute when substitute Oisin McEntee headed home Harry Milne’s free-kick, before Braga slotted home from eight yards.
“It’s not just a purpura.”
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Hearts head coach Derek McInnes praised his players for coming from behind twice to draw against Celtic, but believes they created enough chances to win.
Hearts head coach Derek McInnes said on Sky Sports:
“I thought the team’s attitude was great throughout. I want the team to never give up.
“Their technique for the first goal was great. Sometimes you have to praise a top-class finish.
“We had everything to do. Celtic have a lot of great players. We just needed to show a little bit of composure. We missed chances and we should have done better.”
“If we could have kept each point longer, we should have won the game. We had more clear chances, we took more shots, and we had more pressure.
“I think the fact that we were disappointed not to win the game says a lot.
“To get back to playing against Celtic we need to get a lot of things right but at the heart of it is character and belief and I thought that was what the players were screaming for.”
“We’ve been at the top of the league for four months and it’s not just a purple patch.
“We don’t really worry about Rangers or Celtic. We have to take every game as it comes.”
“Red cards are the same as blue cards!”
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Celtic manager Martin O’Neill has explained why he believes Auston Trusty should not have been shown a red card against Hearts.
Celtic manager Martin O’Neill told Sky Sports:
“It was a very tough game. We did pretty well. It was a great second goal.
“I have to admit that the controversial moment was a red card.
“That’s the same as a blue card (sinbin for the proposed 10 minutes) and a red card!
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The Scottish Football Board is taking a closer look at Auston Trusty’s red card in Celtic’s draw with Hearts – did referee John Beaton and VAR make the right decision?
“First of all, the ball went away from the goal, and secondly, we had players covering. As far as I remember, even if it went away from the goal, it’s not a red card.”
“I don’t know if either team was in control. We were under pressure away from home, who are top of the league, but after scoring the second goal we regained control.
“Being sent off had a big impact on me both mentally and physically.
“We are still in the competition. Quite simply, we have put ourselves in a position to catch up and we are still there.
“We have to get a result on Thursday night. There’s a great spirit in the team and that will be very important at the end of the season.”
