Hartley makes Hearts content

The Scotland midfield player scored one goal, set up another from Roman Bednar and forced Stephen McManus into the own goal that halted the champions’ 21-match unbeaten run. Valdas Ivanauskas, his coach, described Hartley as “one of best midfielders in Europe” and Hartley may get the chance to prove that next season when Hearts embrace that stage.

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The Edinburgh club shook Rangers from their coat-tails only 24 hours after the Ibrox team had narrowed the gap to one point by winning away to Kilmarnock. Rangers knew that Celtic could do their fiercest rivals the biggest favour in Old Firm history, but Gordon Strachan’s team were never given the chance to after Hartley engineered an explosive opening that brought two goals in nine minutes.

Hearts remain four points ahead in pursuit of second place. They could seal that Champions League place on Wednesday at home to Aberdeen but if Rangers fail to win against Hibernian at Easter Road tomorrow, the race will be over. “This was the perfect performance,” Ivanauskas, the caretaker coach, said. “However, this was just one step towards a Champions League place. We have a hard game against Aberdeen. We learnt from our (3-2) defeat here against Celtic at new year.”

Strachan, the Celtic manager, said that his team had been unable to cope with the “power play” of Hearts and shot down any suggestions that his side had coasted to put a spoke in Rangers’ Champions League ambitions. “We tried hard to win this game, as you could see from the magnificent saves by Craig Gordon,” Strachan said. “You do not finish 20 points ahead of Hearts with six games to go if you do not have character and we showed that.”

Hartley said: “This win was so important for us, after Rangers closing the gap to one point. It is now in our own hands on Wednesday. If we get to the Champions League and win the Scottish Cup, that will be the best season this club has ever had.”

Taken from timesonline.co.uk