Polished Hearts keep their cool

Published Date: 11 November 2010
By Barry Anderson
A NIGHT when everything came together perfectly for Hearts. Celtic, consequently, were left second best.
Screaming at officials and wading into two-footed tackles showed the visitors' frustration and cost them dear, albeit they ought to have been awarded a second-half penalty with the score at 2-0. The attention given to Joe Ledley's tackling skills, R yan Stevenson's handball and Neil Lennon's outright buffoonery in the face of officialdom should not be allowed to cloud Hearts' performance. This was merely their second home victory of the season but it was certainly worth the wait, and followed on nicely from Sunday's Edinburgh derby success.

Ian Black scored first on 28 minutes with a distant drive which careered off Daniel Majstorovic's head and into the net. It was a touch of good fortune which Hearts' early superiority merited. David Templeton doubled the advantage in the second half with a precious finish after Ledley was ordered off for a two-footed challenge on Black.

Lennon was then sent to the stand for verbally abusing fourth official Steven McLean and assistant referee Graham Chambers. His complaint was that Celtic deserved a penalty when the ball struck Stevenson's arm inside the Hearts penalty area.

Lennon's antics spoiled an excellent match which lacked nothing in tenacity. Events on the field were akin to two high school hardmen going at it in the playground. Neither was for giving up without the janny intervening. Step forward referee Craig Thomson, whose officiating expertise was tested to the full by jousts involving Black and Ledley, Kevin Kyle and Majstorovic, plus Marius Zaliukas and Georgios Samaras.

Each examination Thomson passed, except one. Television replays confirm the ball struck Stevenson's arm in the second half as he attempted to chest down a cross ball. That left Lennon irate and the Celtic support up in arms. Their manager, never one for calm reflection, directed his ire at officials and was soon motioned to the stand by Thomson. Lennon would have done Gordon Ramsay justice with his multiple use of the 'F' word before being dragged up the tunnel.

He did have a case and had cause to be upset at both Thomson and his assistant failing to award the penalty.

Afterwards he complained Ledley's sending off was "ridiculous" and refused to offer Hearts any credit for what was a gutsy and determined performance inspired by Black and his midfield ally, Adrian Mrowiec.

Jim Jefferies, the Hearts manager, offe red praise for a team which has now won three of its last four matches with clean sheets recorded into the bargain. "There's no doubt we deserved it," he said. "We started very well and had a wee positional change with Templeton on the right to keep Emilio Izaguirre on the back foot. That worked well, I thought. The only chances Celtic had in the first half came through sloppiness on our part when Marius tried to let the ball go out and got caught. He should have dealt with it. One effort we had came off the bar, one was bouncing around the six yard box waiting to be put in.

"At 2-0 I was glad we didn't do anything stupid to let Celtic back into it because I know them and they never give up. One goal changes the whole thing but we were very professional and kept them out.

"We were doing all right when they had 11 men but a sending-off sometimes galvanises people. Celtic were a different team for the first five minutes of the second half.

"They must have had a rollicking at half-time and we had to keep it tight and keep our shape. We got more into the game once we got past that. Once their man got sent off and we scored I think they knew the game was over."

Jefferies' view was that Ledley deserved to walk for launching himself at Black with both feet off the ground. "The referee indicated it was two-footed. If that was the case it's a red card automatically. I don't think Neil was too happy. I didn't see the need for the challenge. I thought Blackie had maybe lost control or the ball was going to go by him."

Unsurprisingly, Lennon disagreed. "A ridiculous decision," he remarked. "I was two or three yards away and it was a good tackle. The referee is going to say Joe went in with two feet. If that's the case, Black is going in with two feet as well yet Joe came away with the ball. That changed the game. The penalty would have changed the game and it was a clear penalty. I think everyone would agree with that.

"I don't know why I was sent off. Johan (Mjallby] and Alan (Thomson] were having a pop too. There was no talk between me and the referee so it was the fourth official's decision to send me to the stand. It's a clear penalty, I can see that 45 yards away. If Craig doesn't see it why doesn't his assistant see it?"

Jefferies' insight contrasted with Lennon's viewpoint: "Ryan said it didn't touch him, he just chested it down. You've got Celtic supporters there claiming for everything, you can't blame them for that. Stevenson said he just chested it down but I think that was the only way they were going to score, through a penalty or something."

Indeed, the Celtic forward line was notably quiet considering they lashed nine past Aberdeen at the weekend.

Hearts' doggedness in defence was largely responsible for that.

Celtic opened virtually with a four-man attack of Anthony Stokes, Gary Hooper, Samaras and Shaun Maloney. It was Maloney who first tested Marian Kello with a drive from 20 yards on s even minutes. However, Hearts quickly asserted themselves and, when Templeton volleyed Ruben Palazuelos' ball across the face of goal, Stephen Elliott's header rebounded off the crossbar. That was a portent of things to come.

With Hearts harrying Celtic at every opportunity, they were awarded a free-kick 35 yards from goal. Rudi Skacel touched the ball to Black, who steadied himself before unleashing an goalbound effort which Fraser Forster might have collected had the ball not taken a wicked deflection off the bald head of Majstorovic. It looped into the air and over the goalkeeper, sending the locals into delirium.

With referees under ridiculous pressure against Celtic at present, Thomson produced a magnificent piece of officiating on 34 minutes. Samaras and Stokes combined to send Gary Hooper in behind the Hearts defence. The striker touched the ball past the advancing Kello and fell to ground before being rightly cautioned for diving.

Skacel stung the palms of Forster with a 38th-minute set-piece before Zaliukas almost gifted Celtic an equaliser. The Lithuanian was dispossessed by Maloney attempting to shepherd the ball out of play near his own byline. Stokes collected and fed Hooper, whose first-time strike was parried by Kello. Zaliukas then headed a corner narrowly over the Celtic crossbar and the first period ended with Hearts deservedly ahead and benefiting from Black's authoritative midfield display.

With the second half merely 11 minutes old, Ledley was dismissed. He lunged at Black with both feet off the ground as the midfielder broke from defence. Ledley won the ball but was airborne as he did so and, by the letter of the law, referee Thomson was correct to issue a straight red card. "It's a conspiracy," chanted the home support as Lennon and Celtic's coaching staff became apoplectic with rage in the technical area.

It took Hearts only moments to capitalise on their extra-man advantage. Skacel picked up a loose ball on the left, his intelligent curving cross reached Templeton on the run for a precise and controlled finish with the right foot. At 2-0, the game was only Hearts' to lose.

Their concentration wavered seconds later as Maloney flicked a corner through to Hooper, however the striker could only prod the ball into the arms of the grateful Kello from around three yards.

The visitors then appealed vociferously for handball against Stevenson as the midfielder attempted to chest a cross down inside his own penalty box. Television replays showed an arm did strike the ball, but Thomson rejected the claims and then issued his second dismissal of the evening after Lennon unleashed a foul-mouthed tirade at McLean and Chambers.

He was ordered to the stand and will now face subsequent SFA punishment.

Niall McGinn, the Celtic substitute, struck the frame of Kello's goal with a left-footed cross but in truth the visitors offered little threat for the remainder of the match. Two-nil down, reduced to ten men and with their manager in the stand, the game was up

Taken from the Scotsman