Hearts 0-4 Celtic - Match Report
th minute, Celtic scored a beautiful goal after Commons high cross from the left wing found Lassad unmarked in the box. He hit a first time volley low and perfectly into the bottom corner. Hearts upped the tempo and tried to respond as Ryan Stevenson sent a deep free-kick into the box. Calum Paterson found himself unmarked 8 yards out from goal but misjudged the flight of the ball and it went over his head. Celtic doubled their advantage after 22 minutes. Right-back Mikael Lustig gave the ball to Lassad on the right wing then continued his run into the box. The striker crossed it in Andy Websters clearance fell to Lustig who put the ball past MacDonald for his third goal of the season. Shortly after Stevenson drilled a free-kick from about 30 yards which Fraser Forster could only parry. The ball fell to Marius Zaliukas who looked certain to head the ball into the net but Forster somehow reacted quick enough stick out a hand and send the ball over. After 30 minutes Stevenson who had looked Hearts most dangerous player going forward put Celtic three goals up when he turned the ball into his own net. Lassad had flicked on a Commons cross from the right wing and Mulgrew pulled it back in from the byline. Stevenson slid in and got to the cross in an attempt to clear; but the ball instead went past MacDonald and into the top corner. In Celtics previous five matches they had failed to score in the first half of the game. But at half-time found themselves three goals up. The second-half kicked in a much more subdued atmosphere to the first; as Hearts fans knew there was no way theyd pull back three goals against Celtic. Five minutes in Forster had to react very well to push a low, swerving McHattie free-kick wide. After 58 minutes Mehdi Taouil replaced Jason Holt after the youngster came off second best in a 50-50 with Mulgrew. Commons then turned the volume in the stadium up a few notches after deciding to do a few keepy-ups before giving Hearts the ball back from a drop ball. Several of the Hearts players were not happy with him and had to be calmed down by their teammates. In the 63rd minute Scott Robinson came on for Dylan McGowan who had picked up a knock. Both teams made changes in the 68 the minute as Hearts brought Andy Driver on for Jamie Walker and Celtic brought Adam Matthews on for Mikael Lustig andScott Brown on for Joe Ledley. Five minutes later Taouil had a chance as the ball fell to him after some head tennis in the Celtic box. But his low drive was easily held by Forster. Celtic brought Georgios Samaras on for Lassad in the 80th minute. In the 83rd minute Mulgrew curled a pinpoint ball from the left wing onto the boot of Hooper who guided it into the back of the net. Hearts received a penalty in the 88th minute after Kelvin Wilson wiped out Stevenson just inside the box. Hearts captain Marius Zaluikas stepped up to take it but Forster dived to the right and pushed the ball wide. Celtic bounce back from their recent bad form in emphatic fashion. With only one more European match to distract them from domestic duties they should pull away from the rest of the league in the next few months and have plenty of breathing space by the time knockout matches come again in February. However, Celtic fans will be happy to see the team get back to winning ways as they had dropped 10 points in their previous five matches. Hearts fans, on the other hand, will be happy just to see the club still playing as only two weeks ago they were on the verge of liquidation due to a £500,000 tax bill from HMRC. However, fans have rallied round the club and raised nearly £1million which has secured their short-term stability. Knowing that several key players will be sold in January Hearts boss John McGlynn has integrated more youngsters into the team in recent weeks bravely starting four teenagers in this fixture which has become evermore heated in recent years. But they all played quite well which will be pleasing to the manager who will have to rely on them even more in the second-half of the season. Celtic stay top of the league with a game in hand after this match. And Hearts are in ninth place.