Hearts ensure fortress is not breached as Romanov looks on

Hearts 2- 0 Celtic:

Published Date: 03 October 2011
By Alan Pattullo
at Tynecastle
THERE might have been darkness at noon at Tynecastle yesterday, but prospects now look significantly brighter for Hearts following this hard-fought win.
While Paulo Sergio's side are proving less than robust while on their travels, their own ground has once again become a formidable fortress in recent weeks.

Home defeats to Dundee United and a drubbing from Tottenham Hotspur led some to wonder whether the stadium had been robbed of its daunting aspect. Celtic, however, are always assured a spiky welcome and they joined recent visitors St Mirren, Hibernian and Aberdeen in leaving Tynecastle without so much as a goal.

The last of Sunday's church bells had barely stopped ringing before we were sitting rapt in our pews as another high-octane encounter between these two sides emerged from the glaur.

The floodlights were switched on long before 1pm, but the watching Vladimir Romanov will have fewer worries about the increased electricity tariff as Hearts tapped into their own energy store in front of the club owner.

League leaders Rangers, the next visitors to Tynecastle, will not relish the thought of their appointment on 23 October, particularly if Romanov decides to drop in once more. It was later revealed that the owner had given a pep talk to the players prior to kick-off.

Hearts were already in front through Rudi Skacel by the time Celtic were reduced to ten men for a third successive time at Tynecastle. Remarkably, Craig Thomson has been the referee on all three occasions. Kris Commons should have been alert to the danger having been sent off on Celtic's last visit. On that notorious night in May, the winger picked up a second booking for leaving the pitch after scoring Celtic's clinching goal in a 2-0 victory.

There was nothing for him or anyone else in the away camp to celebrate here. Commons cut a particularly downcast figure as he walked towards the tunnel following a foolish lunge on Adrian Mrowiec when still 25 minutes of the match remained. Neil Lennon could barely look at Commons as he passed by the dug-out. He later accused a player supposedly trying to win a place back in his manager's affections of costly indiscipline.

Commons' crude tackle on Mrowiec was certainly ill-judged.

Celtic did not have a hope after that and fell further behind when the outstanding Ryan Stevenon grabbed the goal his endeavours deserved.

As well as putting the frighteners on current manager Sergio, Romanov's presence clearly acted as a motivating influence on the players. They will be relieved to know they had the owner up off his seat following Skacel's 58th minute strike. The Czech midfielder returned to the starting XI for the first time since the White Hart Lane leg of the European adventure against Spurs. On the verge of being substituted, he grabbed the perfect moment to pinch the ball off team-mate David Templeton's toes and put the Tynecastle side ahead with an explosive drive from the edge of the box.

Little could have eased the tension but the damp, overcast conditions helped make the atmosphere slightly more subdued. Nevertheless, the game always felt as though it teetered on the brink of meltdown. It was certainly on a knife edge for much of the first half as play switched from end to end. The wet turf made the pace of the game even quicker. Commons was making his first start since Celtic's home defeat by St Johnstone and sought to play himself back into form. But this wasn't an afternoon to hope for time and space.

Hearts threatened first when a clever Jamie Hamill free-kick found the unmarked Stevenson in the box. His diving header was tipped wide by Fraser Forster, but the goalkeeper had to be helped out by his right hand post just two minutes later. Marius Zaliukas' drive, from the edge of the box after a poor headed clearance from Daniel Majstorovic, was inches away from counting for the home team, whose ploy of positioning Eggert Jonsson in front of the back four appeared sound.

He helped shield the defence and it took Celtic 20 minutes to construct a first clear opening. It remained probably the best chance of the first half. A slip from Danny Grainger provided James Forrest with the opportunity to make an advance down the right and his cross fell perfectly for Mohamed Bangura, whose header was weak. Nevertheless, Jamie MacDonald still had to move smartly to deflect the ball wide. He then blocked a Commons shot after the resultant corner. Thereafter game entered a physical phase, Ki picking up a yellow card for a trip on Skacel and then Ian Black picking up a perhaps inevitable booking for a foul on Commons. Chances were still being created, however. Perhaps the most thrilling episode of the first half came after a Victor Wanyama foul on Black - this pair duelled right up until the Hearts player limped off in the dying minutes - had Hamill setting his sights for a shot on goal. His free-kick effort looked to be in all the way until Forster leapt to his right to make a fine save.

Somehow the half had finished goal-less, but such was the open nature and intensity few had any doubt that the deadlock would be broken. Just as inevitable seemed the red card which was duly meted out to Commons.

Hearts, though, had already edged ahead so it could not be claimed that Celtic only listed after the loss of a man. They were already struggling following Skacel's piece of opportunism as he pounced on Templeton's attempt to bring down Hamill's cross from the right. Skacel didn't stand on ceremony and instead lashed the loose ball past Forster from 18 yards.

Lennon's reaction was to send on Anthony Stokes for Bangura, but this tactical switch was not given the chance to prosper. Commons lunged at Mrowiec after losing the ball in the middle of the park and was immediately shown the red card. The under-staffed Celtic were now finding it harder to create an opening as Hearts clung fiercely to the lead. The home side then seized the daylight which Edinburgh had been deprived on a murky afternoon when Stevenson cooly slotted home after good work from Templeton. The winger harried Mark Wilson, who had replaced the injured Adam Matthews, as the pair chased the ball into the corner of the box. His back-heel into Stevenson's path was exquisite. The striker still had his own job of work to complete, and rounded Forster before applying a delirious finish into the net.

Taken from the Scotsman