Celtic delivered a commanding 7-2 victory over Hearts at Parkhead, reinforcing their position as strong contenders in the Scottish Premiership title race. The match, held on Sunday, marked Hearts’ first visit to Celtic Park since last season’s title decider, a game marred by controversy after a pitch invasion prematurely ended the contest.

The defending champions started the match with intensity, capitalizing on two goals from set pieces within the opening ten minutes. Kieran Tierney opened the scoring with a header from a corner, followed shortly by Benjamin Nygren’s deflected volley. Callum McGregor, making his first start for Celtic, doubled the tally with two quick goals, further extending the lead.

Hearts managed a response through Laurent Mendy, but their efforts were overshadowed by an own goal from Jamie McCart, compounding the visitors’ struggles before halftime. Celtic continued their dominance in the second half as Camilo Duran added a sixth goal with a well-placed shot, and Nygren completed his brace late in the match.

Hearts manager Wouter Vrancken was critical of his team’s performance, attributing the goals conceded to individual mistakes. “All of their goals were individual mistakes,” he stated, emphasizing the defensive lapses that contributed to the heavy defeat.

Celtic manager Martin O’Neill, facing pressure after a recent 4-1 loss to Benfica in European competition, welcomed the resounding win. He praised his team’s attacking display, highlighting the quality of the goals and the effective forward play. “It was nice to win in the manner in which we did. We scored some really great goals. We looked really good going forward,” O’Neill said.

The comprehensive victory not only avenged last season’s disappointing closing stages but also strengthened Celtic’s claim for the league title, while Hearts will be left to regroup after a difficult outing at Parkhead.