Robbie Neilson gave some of his star turns a rest – but the Jambo stand-ins still made Celtic sweat for the points to send the champions clear at the top of the Premiership.
Kyogo struck early but it took until stoppage time – when Hearts were down to NINE men – for the result to be put to bed by Giorgos Giakoumakis. Celtic up and running early on against a Jambos side missing several big names ahead of Thursday’s Europa League play-off second leg showdown with Zurich in Gorgie.
But the stand-ins managed to soak up the pressure from the champions most of the afternoon and it made it a hard shift. It was a dominant display just missing more of a cutting edge in the final third – but Neilson will have been happy enough with the performance and the cotton wool job with some of his stars as they look to overturn Zurich’s 2-1 first leg lead.
Key men such as Craig Gordon, Stephen Kingsley Barrie McKay, Craig Halkett, Cammy Devlin and Lawrence Shankland were either injured, rested or left on the bench as the Europa League was made the priority.
It’s usually Celtic trying to juggle domestic and foreign policy at this time of year, but with the Champions League group stages in the bag, Ange Postecoglou could roll out the big guns for the Jambos.
The Aussie stuck with the side that slammed Killie for six last week and looked to pick up where they left off. There was a minute’s applause for club great John Hughes before kick-off and Celts quickly got in to their rhythm after the whistle and it wasn’t long before the punters were off their feet.
The Hoops were ahead inside 14 minutes in typical lightening style with Kyogo volleying in from close range after David Turnbull sent Daizen Maeda down the flank to square.
Celtic settled and searched for a second with Maeda and Jota both flashing crosses across the face of goal and Kyogo not far off a few times.The Hoops high press was causing Hearts to flutter and the pressure was relentless.
Jota hit the side-netting but a rare counter attack nearly punished Celts as Liam Boyce managed to spark a break as Gary Mackay-Steven sent John Ginnelly though on goal but the attacker took his shot early and dragged wide.
It was a reminder for the champions though. Moments later Maeda should have made it two when he was picked out by Matt O’Riley but the Japan star didn’t catch his header and keeper Ross Stewart gathered without much stress.
The stand in keeper did well soon after when he clawed out Kyogo’s cross and then recovered to clutch Greg Taylor’s drive. O’Riley wasn’t far off with a hooked effort as the hosts kept banging on the door.
Hearts held firm to remain in the fight and Celts got a little scruffy after the break and the visitors managed to get further up the pitch. Postecoglou mixed it up by chucking on Reo Hatate and Liel Abada and Hatate almost made and immediate impression as he fired wide after Stewart beat out O’Riley’s dig after a burst in to the box.
Hatate’s appearance gave Celts a bit more urgency – and the introduction of Giorgos Giakoumakis for the closing spell was another problem for the Jambos to contend with.
The Greek striker teed up Moritz Jenz and the defender ballooned over the bar when he could have added to his goal tally. Giakoumakis nodded over the top soon after and was denied at the end by Stewarts.
The big Greek missed a header but he finally got his goal in the final seconds – but only after tired Hearts had lost the plot. Cochrane and Sibbick picked up second booking to get off the scene with a few minutes to spare – and Giakoumakis managed to slide in to make it two against the nine men.
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Celtic not quite as slick
The Hoops were good value for their win and they created enough decent chances to be comfortably out of sight. But it’s also the case Ange Postecoglou’s men were not quite at their best against the Jambos.
A lot of that was down to a resident display from Robbie Neilson’s men, but it was also true the fluency in the final third was not quite up to scratch for Celts. The Hoops have enjoyed having only one game a week in the opening month of the season, but it’s also meant it’s been harder to build some momentum.
It’s splitting hairs given Celtic have won four out of four to go clear at the top of the Premiership with 13 goals scored and just one conceded. Yet there is also a sense they are not fully up to speed yet and have another gear or two.
Reo Bravo
Celtic have not exactly been struggling in his absence but the return of Reo Hatate was a welcome sight for Ange Postecoglou. The midfielder came off the bench and immediately raised the tempo of the team. It was all action stuff, winning the ball at one end and then getting in amongst it at the top of the pitch.
He was unlucky not to notch a few minutes in to his comeback and he manage to wrestle control of s match that was starting to get a little ragged for the Hoops. It’s a long season and Celtic will need all hands on deck, but Hatate is surely going to be one of the first names on the team sheet when he is fit.
Hearts in at the deep end
This might not have been the place to test the depth of the Jambos squad, but it was perhaps a sign of what’s to come for Robbie Neilson’s men. Celtic were too good for the much-changed line-up this time but a look through the starting line up and it’s clear the Tynecastle men have got talent in reserve.
No team in Scotland could expect much with the likes of Craig Gordon, Lawrence, Shankland, Stephen Kingsley and Barrie McKay missing. Yet Hearts still looked fairly strong – in fact, the looked well equipped to cope with most weeks on domestic duty.
Neilson’s men will be involved in Europe until Christmas no matter what happens in the second leg against Zurich. And it might just be they have enough in the ranks to fight in both fronts.
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