Hearts 2 Celtic 4

By Chris Roberts, PA Sport

Celtic produced an awesome display of fireworks in the capital city to blow away a spirited Hearts side and ensure that their 100% start to the new campaign stayed intact.

Striker Chris Sutton celebrated his return to the side with two superb first-half goals - with the assistance of Bobby Petta - to take his tally to three for his new club.

Another from Henrik Larsson put the visitors in control at the break and despite the Swede missing a penalty, Lubo Moravcik made sure that the scoreline was as impressive as some of their magnificent attacking football.

Hearts refused to throw in the towel and replied with second-half goals from Scott Severin and Juanjo, but the day belonged to the rampant Hoops, who added sparkle today to the new-found resilience.

Sutton, who came in for the injured Tommy Johnson, and Petta gave the home side an early warning of what to come in the ninth minute when the dynamic duo combined to almost made an early breakthrough.

The £6million man threaded the ball through the hesitant defence and into the path of the winger on the left, but luckily for the home side Steven Pressley deflected his effort just over the bar.

Celtic did manage to get the ball in the net in the 18th minute when Sutton again played the ball through to Larsson, who took the ball around Antti Niemi before slotting it into the empty net, but the effort was ruled out for offside.

But Hearts were also posing some problems early on and only a magnificent stop from Jonathan Gould prevented the home side from going in front after 20 minutes.

Darren Jackson cut the ball back into the path of Gary McSwegan in the box and he hit a fierce goal-bound shot that Gould saved brilliantly at full-stretch.

But it was Celtic that drew first blood in the 23rd minute when the ball broke to the rejuvenated Petta wide on the left and he produced a wonderful cross which Sutton dived at to head home emphatically into the bottom corner.

Two minutes later and Hearts could have been on level terms, but again Gould produced the heroics with a brilliant one-handed save low to his right to deny a fierce free-kick effort from Severin that was heading for the corner.

But poor defending cost the home side again in the 27th minute when Petta and Sutton again combined with the simplest of moves which saw Celtic double their advantage.

Petta curled a left-footed corner into the area and Sutton was given acres of space to head home from close-range with Niemi and the defence caught flat-footed.

But the home side should have gone further behind in the 39th minute when Larsson got a touch to Moravcik's goal-bound effort, but it came back off the upright and Lee Makel was on hand to clear the danger.

However, moments later Jackson was shown the yellow card for a foul on Moravcik to give Celtic a free-kick in a dangerous area on the left and as a result came their third goal of the game.

Petta's cross came out to Paul Lambert just outside the box and he hit a rasping right-foot drive which came off the heal of Larsson and into the bottom corner to send the travelling green and white army wild with celebration.

Celtic continued where they left off after the break and should have gone further ahead with just one minute on the clock when they were awarded a penalty.

Severin was adjudged to have pulled back Sutton in the box and referee Willie Young had no hesitation in pointing to the spot. Larsson looked a safe bet to find the net, but he blazed his effort high over the bar.

However, Hearts pulled a goal back in the 57th minute after Jackie McNamara had fouled substitute Kris O'Neill and Makel knocked a short free-kick to Severin, who hit an unstoppable drive into the bottom corner from some 30 yards.

Two minutes later and Hearts could have got another goal back when Juanjo crossed into the box and Severin outjumped Johan Mjallby, but he headed just wide of the post.

However, Hearts fell to a suckerpunch in the 61st minute when the referee played advantage to let Larsson and Sutton combine outside the box and Moravcik unleashed a right-footed drive which flew into the net off the upright.

But the home side refused to lie down and in the 64th minute, Robert Tomaschek met a Stephen Fulton free-kick that was swung into the box, but he could not keep the header down.

The goals continued to come and just two minutes later Hearts pulled another one back in fantastic fashion when O'Neill crossed for Juanjo to fire home with a crisp right-foot volley.

Celtic could have added a fifth goal in the last minute when McNamara's cross found its way to Petta, but Niemi saved low with his feet to deny him.

But the visiting support still went away with plenty to admire and the belief that they could even beat arch-rivals Rangers at Parkhead next Sunday.

Teams:

Hearts: Niemi, Flogel, Pressley, Severin, Naysmith, Tomaschek, Cameron, Makel (Juanjo 46), Fulton, McSwegan, Jackson (O'Neil 46).

Subs Not Used: Rousset, Murray, Simpson.

Booked: Jackson, Cameron.

Goals: Severin 56, Juanjo 65.

Celtic: Gould, Stubbs (Mjallby 43), Valgaeren, Mahe, McNamara, Petrov, Lambert, Moravcik (Boyd 66), Petta, Sutton, Larsson.

Subs Not Used: Kerr, Burchill, Berkovic.

Booked: Petrov.

Goals: Sutton 22, 26, Larsson 39, Moravcik 62.

Att: 16,744

Ref: Willie Young (Scotland).


Taken from sportinglife.com