Premiership
Celtic nicks title from Hearts with final-day win
Celtic scored two late goals to beat Hearts 3-1 at home in a nerve-racking final-day title showdown to be crowned Scottish champion for a record 56th time.… Show More
Celtic scored two late goals to beat Hearts 3-1 at home in a nerve-racking final-day title showdown to be crowned Scottish champion for a record 56th time.
With time running out and Hearts closing in on a first title for 60 years, Daizen Maeda and Callum Osmand shattered the visitors, who had needed only a draw to finish top.
When Osmand ran through to score into an empty goal with virtually the last kick of stoppage-time, chaos ensued with delirious Celtic fans streaming on to the pitch.
It was the 14th time in 15 seasons that Celtic has won the title, but none have been as hard-earned as it had trailed Hearts in the standings since the start of but has been revitalised since Martin O'Neill returned as interim manager in January and finished with seven successive victories.
"This season has been mental," Celtic full back Kieran Tierney said.
"It's unbelievable. We never give up and this team is the most mentally strong team I've ever been involved with. This is the best thing I've ever won."
It was despair for Hearts, which needed a draw to win the club's first title in 60 years but suffered the same fate as 40 years ago when it also lost out on the final day.
In a cauldron-like atmosphere, the visitors seemed to be on course for glory when Lawrence Shankland headed them in front from a corner in the 43rd minute.
But Celtic was level before half-time when Alexandros Kyziridis was adjudged by the video assistant referee (VAR) to have blocked a Tierney cross with his arm and Arne Engels scored from the penalty spot.
Celtic piled forward as the final whistle approached and soon after Kelechi Iheanacho hit the post Maeda scored from close range only for the offside flag to go up.
After an agonising wait for another VAR check, the goal was allowed to stand – a second straight controversial call to fall the way of the Hoops in the space of a week.
Hearts, which led the table for 226 days since the start of October, tried to respond in stoppage-time and in one last desperate effort everyone went forward for a free-kick.
When the ball broke for Celtic, and with Hearts keeper Alexander Schwolow stranded, Osmand ran the ball half the length of the pitch towards a heaving sea of green fans to seal it.
It was a devastating day for Hearts, so close to becoming the first team other than Celtic or Rangers to win the Scottish title since Aberdeen in 1985.
It will look back, with some justification, to the controversial stoppage-time penalty that Celtic scored to beat Motherwell 3-2 in midweek, a result that swung the odds back towards the Glasgow giant.
Had that game ended in a draw, Celtic would have required a victory by three goals in the final fixture.
Celtic's Alistair Johnston said the title win was Celtic's greatest of all time, and paid special tribute to O'Neill's influence.
"It's the greatest league win – it must be of all time," defender Johnston said.
"Never count us out. We just felt like we were going to find a way. Unbelievable.
"[Martin O'Neill] is a winner. Build him a statue, it's as simple as that. He just finds a way to win."
An emotional Celtic captain Callum McGregor said: "For the first time ever, I'm speechless. You see what it means to everyone. What a season. Everyone wrote us off.
"We knew we'd get a chance. We keep going and going. What a special group of people. Magical."
