Celtic defeated Heart Of Midlothian 3-1 at Celtic Park to keep their title hopes alive, with Callum Osmand's late strike sealing victory in a fiercely contested Premiership clash.
The Hoops dominated possession but faced an early scare when Lawrence Shankland fired Hearts ahead in the 43rd minute. Celtic responded immediately, with Arne Engels converting a penalty just before halftime to level the match. Daizen Maeda and Osmand added second-half goals to secure three crucial points.
Both teams entered the match with contrasting positions at the top of the table. Hearts held first place with 81 points from 38 games, while Celtic sat second with 80 points. The visitors arrived in Edinburgh seeking to maintain their advantage, but the hosts came to fight for the title race.
Celtic controlled the opening exchanges at Celtic Park. The home side pressed high and moved the ball with purpose across the pitch. Hearts, however, remained compact and dangerous on the counter-attack. The visitors' defensive shape frustrated Celtic's early attempts to break through.
Shankland punished Celtic's slack defending in the 43rd minute. The Hearts striker found space inside the box and fired low past the goalkeeper. It was a stunning blow for the home side, who had dominated the first half without finding the net.
Celtic showed their character before the interval. Engels stepped up to convert a penalty in the 45th minute, just three minutes into added time. The spot-kick leveled the contest and shifted momentum back toward the hosts heading into halftime.
The second half saw Celtic increase the tempo. Engels and Maeda combined to create chances, while Hearts struggled to maintain their early intensity. Celtic's possession advantage grew as the match wore on.
Maeda broke the deadlock in the 88th minute with a clinical finish. The forward latched onto a loose ball and fired past the Hearts goalkeeper to put Celtic 2-1 ahead. The goal proved decisive in the final stages.
Osmand sealed victory deep into injury time with a third goal for Celtic. The substitute showed composure to finish when it mattered most. Hearts could not recover from the blow as the final whistle approached.
Celtic dominated the statistics, recording 67% possession compared to Hearts' 33%. The hosts managed 14 shots with 5 on target, while Hearts had 12 shots with just 2 on target. Celtic's expected goals figure of 1.85 reflected their control, though Hearts created more than their xG of 0.96 suggested.
Engels and Maeda impressed for Celtic, both earning ratings of 7.7 and 7.6 respectively. Osmand made an immediate impact off the bench with a rating of 8.6. Shankland worked hard for Hearts throughout, despite his team's defeat.
