Celtic 1 Hearts 1

By SUN ONLINE REPORTER
RUDI SKACEL blasted his eighth goal of the term as unbeaten leaders Hearts stayed three points clear of Celtic.

George Burley’s hard-grafting heroes deserved their point, despite Craig Beattie’s deflected opener for the Hoops.

Skacel’s left-foot leveller from 12 yards punished loose play by defender Paul Telfer and keeper Artur Boruc on 16 minutes.

But Celtic boss Gordon Strachan refused to concentrate on the blunder.

He said: "It needed a bit of genius or a mistake for a goal and the one we lost was from a mistake.

"It didn't seem right to me but we're not having an inquest.

"It doesn't matter whose fault it was, there was a mistake between the two of them.

"If there is an honest mistake, which it was, then there's not a problem and there's nothing I can do about that.

"I can rectify things in terms of coaching and moving people about but if there's a mistake, there's a mistake and we just get on and play."

Hearts midfielder Paul Hartley blasted linesman Tom Murphy over the Hoops early free-kick opener and Skacel's booking for celebrating his equaliser.

Hartley said: "We got punished by losing a goal from the free-kick. We had a pretty quick response with Skacel getting a goal but some of the decisions were a bit unfair.

"The thing with Rudi is that he's been booked three times this season for celebrating a goal.

"He never even went off the park. Hopefully he doesn't end up getting suspended but it's a bad day when you can't score a goal and celebrate - so maybe he shouldn't celebrate from now on.

"Maybe I over-reacted once or twice with the linesman but he likes raising his flag - maybe he's not raised it for few weeks."

Visitors' chief George Burley was just as scathing of Murphy's part in Skacel's yellow card - because the linesman was 50 yards away when he decided the Hearts hero had left the pitch.

Burley said: "It was a ridiculous decision, the referee was a yard away and there was no problems - I think he had one stud over the line.

"How the linesman could stand at the halfway line and tell the referee to book him is amazing.

"I was worried after that for Rudi. If the referee books him fine, but not if the linesman tells him to do it from the halfway line."

And it had been the visitors who threatened first when Boruc tipped Hartley’s 25-yard drive over.

Then Skacel whipped in a free-kick from the right that flew across the Celtic six-yard box.

There were close calls at either end before Celtic’s 13th minute breakthrough.

Hearts failed to clear properly following a short burst of Celtic pressure and Beattie picked up the loose ball at the edge of the penalty area to drive a left-foot shot goalwards.

But the effort took a deflection to guide the ball past Hearts goalkeeper Steve Banks.

Then, Celtic defender Bobo Balde's back-post header from an Alan Thompson corner crashed off the post.

However, in the 16th minute, following a long through pass by Edgaras Jankauskas, Skacel won a tussle with Telfer and Boruc.

When the ball broke, the Jambos' midfielder was up first to slam the ball.

And in the 25th minute the visitors should have taken the lead.

Midfielder Samuel Camazzola sent Jankauskas through with a clever pass, but the striker thrashed his shot high over the bar.

Hoops' midfielder Shunsuke Nakamura sent a 25-yard shot wide moments before Stilian Petrov came closer with an effort from similar distance.

The home side were gradually taking control.

And just before the break Banks’ fine save denied Thompson’s long-range drive.

Then, seven minutes after the break, only a fine Banks' save from Telfer's powerful deflected drive from distance kept the home side from taking the lead again.

On the hour, Skacel worked a wonderful one-two with Jankauskas at the edge of the Hoops' penalty area and only a fine close-range block by the alert Boruc prevented the Czech Republic player grabbing his second.

Celtic boss Gordon Strachan replaced Thompson with Shaun Maloney midway through the second half.
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And within a minute the substitute produced a curling free-kick from 30 yards that Banks stretched to tip round..

At the other end, Hearts defender Andy Webster ballooned a shot from 16 yards high over the bar.

Michal Pospisil wastefully headed Skacel's terrific free-kick from six yards.

At the other end, Chris Sutton headed a Maloney free-kick over in a similar situation to the groans of the home supporters.

Hoops' substitute John Hartson had came on for Lennon and the Welshman set up Sutton with a simple header, but Banks saved easily.

But the Tynecastle side held on for the point to keep them three points clear of Celtic at the top of the SPL.

Taken from the Sun