Celtic 'shed no tears for broken Hearts' as Victor Wanyama's goal keeps pressure on Rangers

By Alasdair Reid

Hearts earned credit for their fighting spirit in this match, but the likeliest scenario, that they would have their impecunious noses rubbed firmly in the dirt, was the one that duly came to pass.

With a smattering of salty ignominy added to their wounds as well. With just one minute left, Hearts won a penalty when Victor Wanyama, who had scored an elegant goal for Celtic 18 minutes earlier, was adjudged to have handled in the box.

The award was highly dubious and a draw would certainly have flattered a Hearts side who had created almost no real scoring opportunities up to that point, but it would still be hard to argue that their players do not deserve a little bit of luck right now.

Unfortunately for them, Celtic goalkeeper Fraser Forster was in no mood to dish any out. After a lengthy argument with Georgios Samaras over the placing of the ball on the spot, Eggert Jonsson struck what seemed like the perfect penalty, low and hard towards the right-hand corner, but Forster read the Icelander's shot perfectly, dived to his left and turned the ball round the post.

The save brought an almighty roar from the Celtic support and Forster was engulfed by his team-mates. For Hearts, however, mired in financial uncertainty and still waiting for their wages to be paid, it was a cruel, cruel finish, and their fractiousness over the final few minutes was almost understandable.

At the end, defender Jamie Hamill appeared to become embroiled in a skirmish with a couple of opposition players, and there was a suspicion that one or two in the Celtic team, Scott Brown most prominent, had been guilty of some winding-up tactics.

And yet, the overall impression was that Celtic are a team in splendid shape right now. They will go into their Europa League fixture against Udinese on Thursday in good heart, on a run of six straight wins in the Clydesdale Bank Premier League, and with their top players firing nicely.

Brown made an impressive return, adding urgency and devil in the centre of the midfield when he came on as a second-half substitute, and there were admirable contributions from Jamie Forrest, on the right wing, and Wanyama, who moved from the midfield to the defence after Brown's arrival.

“I thought he was decent in the first half and outstanding in the second half,” said Celtic manager Neil Lennon of the Kenyan's performance. “He's a player who has progressed in physical presence and his technical ability on the ball is excellent. He reads the game well and he has been a tremendous signing for us this season.”

He also knows how to score a slick goal. Celtic had dominated the game for the first 70 minutes but they had been, in Lennon's words, “impotent” in the final third.

However, when Wanyama collected the ball five yards outside the Hearts' penalty box, he looked up, picked his spot in the top right-hand corner, and clipped it home with a combination of precision and force that left Martin Kello stranded.

It was a lovely individual contribution in a game that was always likely to be settled that way. As assured as Celtic's players looked, they struggled to string more than two or three passes together.

Forrest made some sizzling runs down his flank, but his strikers failed to match his build-up work with the quality of their finishing. Their worst moment, 30 minutes into the game, came when Gary Hooper, unmarked on the corner of the six-yard box, somehow managed to toe-poke the ball past the far post.

Other than that, Celtic's best opportunity before their goal was a 61st minute looping header by Anthony Stokes that dropped onto the crossbar.

Wanyama's goal spurred Hearts into action, but in a heated finish their efforts were measured only by the three yellow cards they collected. These are harrowing times for the Tynecastle players, with reports suggesting many are now prepared to walk away from the club if they are not paid by the middle of next month.

“Shed no tears for broken Hearts,” said a banner unfurled at one end of the ground. Celtic, clearly, took that message on board.

Match details

Celtic (4-4-2): Forster; Cha, Loovens (Brown h-t), Majstorovic, Mulgrew; Forrest, Kayal (Ki 67), Wanyama, Samaras; Hooper, Stokes (Bangura 90). Subs: Zaluska, Wilson, McGeough, Twardzik.

Hearts (4-5-1): Kello; Hamill, Mrowiec, Zaliukas, McGowan; Taouill, Robinson (Elliott 77), Jonsson, Black (Obua 77), Templeton (Driver 77); Stevenson. Subs: MacDonald, Novikovas, Skacel, Mullen. Booked: McGowan, Robinson, Templeton.

Referee: C Murray.

Taken from telegraph.co.uk