Celtic 3 - 0 Hearts

HEARTS disputed two of Celtic's three goals as they succumbed to defeat in Glasgow on a day when manager Jim Jefferies was ordered to the stand for criticising match officials. After Rangers managed a late winner to overcome Hamilton at lunchtime, their city rivals dispensed with a Tynecastle side which lacked nothing in spirit but toiled to create many clear chances in the final third of the pitch.

Goals from James Forrest and Shaun Maloney in the first half secured Celtic's victory, topped off by a late third from substitute Paddy McCourt. The lead up to the first two strikes included suspicions of offside and, after Forrest's conversion, an enraged Jefferies ranted at the standside assistant referee Francis Andrews and was dismissed by referee William Collum.

Seeing a reorganised visiting defence would have encouraged Anthony Stokes on his Celtic debut, with Hearts suffering the loss of Lee Wallace and Marius Zaliukas to injury. However the Irishman was to have a fruitless afternoon in the goal stakes.

He struck the first attempt at Marian Kello's goal on ten minutes which skimmed narrowly wide. Six minutes later Ryan Stevenson's speculative drive sailed over the Celtic crossbar, and Fraser Forster was tested for the first time when he required two attempts to gather Kevin Kyle's downward header from David Templeton's corner.

As the opening period progressed Hearts grew in confidence, exemplified when Suso struck woodwork following a flowing attack involving Kyle and Stevenson. However, the visitors were made to rue that missed opportunity just seconds later as Celtic broke from defence to fashion the opening goal.

Maloney slid a through ball to Daryl Murphy, who looked suspiciously offside in behind the Hearts rearguard. He motored forward to deliver a low cross across the face of Kello's goal. Darren Barr looked well positioned to clear as the ball arrived at the back post, but he succeeded only in diverting it onto Forrest's foot and into the net. As the Hearts management protested about the lack of an offside flag and berated the standside assistant, Jefferies was ordered to the stand by Collum.

Celtic ought to have doubled their advantage three minutes from the interval when Forrest was allowed to scamper unchecked into the opposition penalty area. He squared an intelligent ball which Maloney and Murphy appeared to leave to each other, thus wasting the opening. Seconds later, Maloney made amends but again there was more than a hint of offside about the goal. The diminutive Scotland internationalist fastened on to Joe Ledley's through pass and with no flag proceeded to eyeball Kello and dribble round the Slovakian before converting into the net as Eggert Jonsson slid in.

Kello prevented a third shortly after the interval by saving at the feet of Murphy, and it was clear Hearts had to score the game's next goal to maintain hope of salvaging even a point from this contest. Maloney dithered in the six-yard box on 58 minutes with the goal at his mercy before Forster parried a vicious shot from Suso at the opposite end.

Hearts appealed vehemently for a penalty after David Templeton fell under Emilio Izaguirre's challenge, however the referee dismissed their claims. The Tynecastle side were undeterred and continued probing the Celtic rearguard. They introduced David Obua and Calum Elliot hoping to imbue their attack with more impetus but the hosts finished the match in command.

In the closing stages, substitute Georgios Samaras had a goal disallowed, ironically for offside, and watched Kello block another two of his shots instinctively from close range. Another substitute, McCourt, evaded the attentions of Barr before cutely clipping his finish over the advancing Kello for Celtic's third.

Celtic (4-4-2): Forster; Cha, Majstorovic, Loovens, Izaguirre; Forrest, Brown (Kayal 61), Ledley, Maloney; Stokes (McCourt 77), Murphy (Samaras 69). Subs: Zaluska, Misun, Ki, Hooper.

Hearts (4-4-1-1): Kello; Barr, Bouzid, Jonsson, Palazuelos; Templeton, Mrowiec, Black (C Elliot 73), Stevenson (R McGowan 83); Suso; Kyle (Obua 66). Subs: Balogh, Novikovas, J Thomson, C Thomson.

Referee: William Collum.

Taken from the Scotsman