Celtic missed the chance to go top of the cinch Premiership on Sunday afternoon as they fell to a shocking 2-0 defeat at Tynecastle against Hearts.
Things already had an unsteady feeling about it when Celtic missed a massive chance to take the lead early on as Zander Clark denied Adam Idah from the penalty spot. Shortly after, the man that won the penalty, Yang Hyun-jun, was dismissed for a high boot on Alex Cochrane, compiling a disastrous start to the half for Celtic.
A Tomoki Iwata handball saw Hearts given a penalty before half-time, which Jorge Grant was on hand to power past Joe Hart to give the Jambos the lead.
Lawrence Shankland may have thought he had added a second late in the half but it was disallowed by VAR, but we wasn’t to be denied once again as he took his chance when it came in the second-half to put Hearts two to the good and the game out of sight for Celtic.
It would have been a tough task for Celtic to have come back from 2-goals down with 10 men, but supporters were hoping for a bit more fighting spirit on display, especially with how the stakes were raised for the game due to results around the grounds on Saturday.
Celtic find themselves still 2 points off of the summit of the cinch Premiership, and here are A Celtic State of Mind’s 3 takeaways from today’s defeat in Gorgie.
Worst Possible Start
Now everyone will have their opinions on controversial and divisive refereeing decisions, especially in Scotland, and plenty has been made of the penalty Celtic were awarded early on.
However, Celtic couldn’t take advantage of that and Adam Idah’s penalty was well-saved by Clark in the Hearts goal. It looked like the heads of the Celtic team began to drop from that moment onwards, but things really became an uphill battle when Yang Hyun-jun was sent off for a high boot on Alex Cochrane.
Once again, differing opinions are swirling on social media about the decision, but it was another pivotal moment early on in the game that set the tempo for what was set to be a frustrating and disappointing afternoon for the men in Hoops.
Lack of Urgency
It was always going to be tough for Celtic find a way back into the game with 10 men. As previously mentioned, the game becomes an uphill battle from that stage.
However, the team never really seemed to reflect the bravery and the urgency that was needed to tackle the task at hands. That will be the thing that disappoints Brendan Rodgers the most about today’s performance, especially with the chance to go top of the league with a victory up for grabs.
McGregor absence noticeable
Missing someone who is an ever-present for this Celtic team was always going to deal a blow to the way the team plays, but this Celtic team was screaming out for someone like Callum McGregor today.
When you are down to ten men, having someone who always picks up the free space and is always providing a passing option is vital, the poor performance from Tomoki Iwata on the day only further emphasised how big a miss the captain is going to be for the next few games.
James McKenzie // @JamesWHMcKenzie
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