Hearts 0 Celtic 4: Hoops get back to winning ways as hapless Hearts are ripped to pieces

By Keith Jackson

NEIL LENNON'S men bounced back from their shock defeat to Inverness by putting Hearts to the sword with ease at a packed Tynecastle.
Gary Hooper then made it 4-0 Gary Hooper then made it 4-0

YOU get the impression Hearts would never knowingly do Celtic favours. So much bad blood courses between this pair they could paint the M8 maroon with it.

But last night, albeit unwittingly, this crisis-ravaged Edinburgh outfit provided Neil Lennon and his players with the antidote to their own recent troubles on the home front.

Against a crackling, pulsating backdrop at a packed Tynecastle and, perhaps more importantly, amidst a cauldron of festering animosity, they offered up the adrenaline shot which brought Lennon’s men roaring back to life with their most relentless, ruthless SPL performance of a season which has been blighted by their own apathy.

Three goals in 20 scorching first-half minutes – from Lassad Nouioui, Mikael Lustig and a Ryan Stevenson OG – had this victory secured in next to no time.

Gary Hooper added a late fourth in the second half and then, just to rub salt into some gaping old wounds, the outstanding Fraser Forster pulled off one final heroic stop to keep out a Marius Zaliukas penalty and ensure that the home fans – as if they are not already hurting enough – had cause to suffer some more in this, their darkest hour.

Celtic Hearts Lustig prods home the second goal

Yes, if ever Celtic needed a trip across the central belt to this particular place then it was surely last night. Now that the lethargy has been shaken off in such emphatic style Lennon may even have made the journey home fully expecting to see his side moving up through the gears from now until May.

The Parkhead boss made only three changes to Saturday’s line-up with youngster Tony Watt, full-back Adam Matthews and Georgios Samaras dropping out, their places taken by Lassad, Kelvin Wilson and Joe Ledley.

But the transformation in the attitude and urgency of his side was much more comprehensive. And, let’s face, at this of all places it had to be.

It may have been a cold night in the capital but Tynecastle was simmering under the lights with that boiling level of malevolence which is reserved for this fixture.

After weeks of turning up their noses at some tepid, tasteless domestic fare, Lennon’s players needed to show the kind of hunger and appetite which has underpinned their Euro adventures – or risk being devoured by the locals who arrived here in great numbers as their fight for survival continues.

In such a super-charged atmosphere it was no surprise this game came rocketing out of the traps. From the first toot of Willie Collum’s whistle it was breakneck, breathless stuff.

It was everything Lennon needed it to be and his players responded in the manner the manager would have expected of them.

They didn’t just rise to the challenge Hearts were setting, they relished it and very quickly hurdled clear and raced off into the distance, netting three times in a rampant spell which knocked the stuffing out of the home side.

Celtic even posted an early warning of what was to come when Kris Commons forced Jamie MacDonald into a fabulous save just four minutes in when the keeper got across to his left to claw out a well-placed effort.

The immediate response from John McGlynn’s youngsters was to hurl into a quick cluster of crunching tackles which raised the temperature further and forced Celtic on to the back foot for the first time. They should probably have won a penalty when Beram Kayal, in attempting to deal with a corner, headed the ball on to the forearm arm of Lassad inside the box.

The Tunisian looked a relieved man when ref Collum, who may not have had a perfect view, dismissed the hollers of the home support and waved play on.

Collum was much better placed to call another penalty claim when Wilson slid in on Callum Paterson and this time the official correctly ignored the appeals.

Hearts Celtic And Lassad got the visitors off to the perfect start with an early opener

But the mood of the home crowd had already been soured by then as Celtic were 1-0 up and seizing control.

The opener came in 10 minutes when Commons arced a deep cross towards the back end of the Hearts box and Lassad met it with a crisp, low volley which flashed past MacDonald at the keeper’s left-hand post.

Hearts ought to have levelled soon after when Paterson ghosted on to a wonderfully flighted free-kick from Stevenson but even though the striker was unmarked and only yards out from goal he failed to connect and the chance went begging.

In 22 minutes, Celtic made Paterson pay for that miss with another clinical finish of their own. This time it was full-back Lustig who pounced to drill home from 12 yards after Darren Barr had prevented Commons from getting on the end of a sweeping move and inviting set-up from Lassad.

Hearts Celtic Mikael Lustig then added a second

There was something relentless about the way in which Celtic’s players were piling forward now and there was little Hearts could do to resist.

Even when they did muster up something they suffered the further heartache of seeing Forster repel them with world-class saves.

Like in 24 minutes when he kept out a thunderous free-kick from Stevenson then reacted superbly to claw out a diving header from Zaliukas on the rebound.

Zaliukas was probably still shaking his head in disbelief when, less than five minutes later, Celtic made it 3-0 – this time when the unfortunate Stevenson, in his rush to cut out a Charlie Mulgrew cutback, slid the ball into the roof of his own net.

These were vicious, withering blows to the chin of the Hearts players who retreated inside at half-time in a state of some shock.

No sooner had the second half begun than Forster was pulling off another fabulous save, this time getting down to his right to keep out a stinging free-kick from youngster Kevin McHattie which looked to be going in as soon as it lashed off the laces of his boot.

Nothing was going right for the home side and manager McGlynn attempted to mix things up by replacing another of his young jewels, Jason Holt, with Moroccan playmaker Mehdi Taouil.

He was then forced to make a further change when Dylan McGowan limped off, replaced by Scott Robinson, and a third sub followed when Andy Driver was sent on for Jamie Walker.

Lennon then made a double change of his own with skipper Scott Brown and Matthews on for Ledley and Lustig in straight swaps.

Celtic almost bagged a fourth goal 15 minutes from time when Kayal’s low cross from the right caused panic to break out inside the Hearts box.

But even though Hooper and Commons tried to pounce the ball was scrambled clear by the sheer weight of home shirts.

Then Commons raced clean through only for MacDonald to deny him with a fine low save.

Hearts Celtic And was hailed by his team-mates as it finished 4-0

The rout was finally rounded off seven minutes from time when Hooper walked on to a perfectly flighted Mulgrew cross to volley home from a couple of yards with the instep of his right boot.

And there was still time for one last kick in the teeth in 88 minutes. Hearts were finally awarded their penalty – for Wilson’s foul on Stevenson – only for Forster to produce one last textbook stop, diving to his right to keep out a powerful effort from Zaliukas.

Taken from the Daily Record