MAROON THE BEND

CELTIC 2

HEARTS 1

DID you hear that bang? It probably carried all the way from Glasgow's East End to Gorgie Road.

On a weekend of loud noises it was the sound of Hearts imploding once again that jarred the senses more rudely than any other.

Vladimir Romanov and his gang have developed a habit for self-harm. But even by their spectacular standards this latest suicide attempt came as a shock to the system for all sorts of different reasons. In 20 quite astonishing minutes they managed to finish themselves off as title contenders before our very eyes.

And, typical of a club with serious mental issues, the circumstances of Hearts' demise made no sense at all.

Let's get one thing clear right away. The Tynecastle side were superb for most of Saturday's match.

In fact, they played Celtic off their own park thanks in no small measure to the tactics and team selection of Eduard Malofeev.

The bolshy Russian with the Lloyd Bridges stare smartly outmanouvered Gordon Strachan by sending out a team designed to dominate in midfield and break forward at high speed.

But he chose the wrong week to stop picking Julien Brellier - a player at the middle of a bitter dispute with club owner Vladimir Romanov.

Twice the French contract rebel stepped up to the sidelines ready to replace Marius Zaliukas who was clearly in no fit state to continue after a hefty collision midway through the second half.

And twice Malofeev ordered Brellier to put his tracksuit top back on even though his assistant John McGlynn appeared desperate to make the change.

On both occasions Zaliukas hobbled back on to the park in obvious distress and as a result of this madness Hearts attempted to protect their 1-0 lead with only nine fit outfield men.

Bizarre does not even begin to describe it, especially as Malofeev and his players had worked with such determination and diligence to get themselves into a commanding position.

With Zaliukas, Bruno Aguiar and Paul Hartley all in terrific form, Malofeev's game plan was being perfectly executed.

Together these three players swamped Neil Lennon and Evander Sno and grabbed a stranglehold on the middle of the park.

And so, even though it took some 71 minutes before Andrius Velicka, another outstanding performer, finally put Hearts in front there had only ever looked like being one winner.

Velicka had put in an almighty shift as a lone striker although the flexible make-up of Malofeev's system meant he was frequently supported by wide men Deividas Cesnauskis and Saulius Mikoliunas.

Hartley, whose quality and industry made him a stand-out, and Aguiar were also able to push forward from midfield to lend a hand which meant Hearts were coming at Celtic's defence from all angles.

Neither was Strachan's backline helped either by the fact so many of the side's more creative players were failing to get on the ball long enough to take the pressure off. And the strain finally told with just under 20 minutes to go when Shunsuke Nakamura played Paul Telfer into trouble and the right-back, who had been one of Celtic's most solid performers, panicked and gave up possession.

Off raced Velicka, running at Stephen McManus and twisting the big defender one way then the other before slotting an expert finish past Artur Boruc from 18 yards.

It was no more than Hearts deserved and just reward also for Velicka who had been a constant threat to McManus and Gary Caldwell.

But, even so, Hearts were not so comfortable they could afford to see out the game a man down.

And yet Malofeev stubbornly refused to make the substitution which was so obviously required from the moment Zaliukas went down in distress.

Malofeev did, however, in 79 minutes, see fit to withdraw Aguiar and replace the Portuguese midfielder with left-back Takis Fyssas.

Malofeev claimed later that he feared Aguiar might have been running out of steam but even though this all-action player had covered almost every blade of grass, he still seemed full of energy when he told to take his leave. At the very least, he was in far better nick than Zaliukas who was by now struggling just to put one leg in front of the other.

And so the maroon self elf-destruct button - was pressed. Again. But, even if we have grown used to it by now, what happend next came as such surprise it actually managed to take the breath away.

No, not the fact that the laid-back Jiri Jarosik emerged from Celtic's bench in such a hurry to connect with Nakamura's corner in 85 minutes and crash home an equaliser.

Jarosik may have an unfortunate knack of looking lacklustre but the Czech sensed the urgency of the moment when he was sent on for Sno and his thumping header appeared to have salvaged unlikely draw for his side.

Nope. It was not Jarosik's heroics which will live on long in the memory because Celtic were not finished yet and neither, for that matter, were He arts.

For the second weekend on the trot the champions had waited until falling a goal until behind before really applying themselves to the task. But, just as at Kilmarnock six days earlier, they only needed 20 minutes of their "A Game" to turn defeat into victory. The difference was Hearts were almost falling over themselves to help. And the vital assist was to come from the most unexpected source of all - Craig Gordon, the man with the safest hands in the country.

Indeed, Gordon had survived an uncharacteristic mistake earlier in this match when he failed to deal properly with a shot from Maciej Zurawski.

The keeper succeeded in pushing the ball to Scotland team-mate Kenny Miller who really ought to have done better than hook a shot over the bar of Gordon's unguarded goal.

The thought occurred right then that we had just witnessed Gordon's quota of misjudgments for the season.

But as the clock ticked down into injury time he came up with another howler that was as calamitous as it was costly.

Having opted to head the ball behind his own goal and concede a corner rather than risk handling a toe-poke from defender Christophe Berra, Gordon steadied himself and waited for another of Nakamura's devilish dead-ball deliveries.

This time Hearts appeared to have the situation under control but although the ball was there to be cleared Caldwell, despite being outnumbered and of balance, jabbed out a leg to nudge it towards McManus.

The big stopper took a swing and scuffed his shot badly. Gordon blocked it with his left boot, but the ball spun up in the air and looped towards Robbie Neilson who was guarding a post.

So lifeless was this effort Neilson had time to bend down and tie his shoelaces before lashing it to safety but, instead of leaving the formalities to his full-back, Gordon turned around and attempted to place his gloves around the ball.

And the keeper managed only to slap the ball away from a horrified Neilson and into the back of his own net.

Celtic Park erupted in the kind of euphoria usually reserved for the moment the SPL title is wrapped up. For this was that very moment.

But even as the place shook under the strain and an almighty roar went up into the night air, the unmistakable sound of Hearts breaking could be heard above the din.

MAN OF THE MATCH Paul Hartley (Hearts)

MATCH STATS

POSSESSION

55% 45%

SHOTS ON TARGET

5 4

SHOTS OFF TARGET

2 2

CORNERS

1 2

FOULS CONCEDED

1 3

OFFSIDES

0 0

CELTIC

MAN BY MAN

Artur Boruc: Decent first-half save from Cesnauskis. No chance with goal. 6

Paul Telfer: One of side's best players until his slack pass led to opener. 7

Gary Caldwell: Wiped out Lisbon nightmare with solid display. Driving force in late comeback. 8

Stephen McManus:Strong, aggressive, commanding and played crucial part in winner. A cornerstone of Strachan's Hoops. 8

Lee Naylor: Failed to get forward enough. 6

Shunsuke Nakamura:Missing in action like most of side's creative players but his two late corners turned match. 5

Neil Lennon: Outnumbered and - particularly by Hartley - outplayed. 5

Evander Sno: Struggled to catch pace of game as it fizzed around him in midfield. 4

Aiden McGeady: Got nod ahead of Shaun Maloney but offered little. 4

Maciej Zurawksi: On for an hour but one first-half shot only contribution of note. 3

Kenny Miller: Drive and determination kept Celts going. 6

Subs: Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink - toiled to get into game, 2. Jiri Jarosik - on for Sno in 73 minutes and made massive impact. Scored equaliser, 6. Shaun Maloney - sparked life into forward play, 6.

HEARTS

MAN BY MAN

Craig Gordon:Lucky not to be punished for uncharacteristic first-half mistake but worse was to come. 4

Robbie Neilson: Had McGeady in his back pocket. Typically dependable. 7

Ibrahim Tall: Early booking for heavy foul on Miller but settled into game. 6

Christophe Berra: Strong in air and read game well. Impressive. 7

Jose Goncalves: Had Nakamura and Telfer running at him but stuck to task. 6

Marius Zaliukas:Very effective as sitting midifelder until clattered in second half. 7

Deividas Cesnauskis: One decent run and cut-back before being hooked at break. Waste of a shirt. 3

Paul Hartley: Drove Hearts on from midfield and displayed wide range of passing. Class act with a huge heart. 8

Bruno Aguiar: Bundle of energy next to Hartley. Should not have been subbed. 8

Salius Mikoliunas:Worked hard to support Velicka but too selfish at times. 5

Andrius Velicka: Worked his tail off as lone striker and notched terrific opener. 8

Subs: Nerijus Barasa - spent most of his time trying to con referee, 2. Takis Fyssas - sent on for Aguiar for no apparent reason, 1.

MOMENT THAT CHANGED THE GAME: Whenever whoever decided not to pick Julien Brellier.

Taken from the Daily Record