There is something special happening at Hearts, the question is can Celtic or any other team stop their title hopes?
The Jambos are unbeaten in the Scottish Premiership and eight points clear of the Hoops after they beat the current champions 3-1 at Tynecastle Park.
Derek McInnes fielded an unchanged starting XI for the fifth consecutive game while Brendan Rodgers looked to his academy and fringe players to fill in for first-team regulars.
“We shall not be moved” rang around Tynecastle Park, but McInnes did not see it as a “statement win” while Rodgers called for “perspective” so early in the season.
“We take the three points and we stick them in the pocket and we’re pleased with that,” the Hearts head coach told Sky Sports.
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Hearts manager Derek McInnes gives his reaction to his side’s impressive 3-1 victory over Celtic as Hearts extend the gap further at the top of the table.
“I don’t think it’s a statement win. It might be for others on the outside looking in. It might change opinions. It might validate opinions that there’s a tightrope.
“I genuinely think that, and I’ll stick to it, the fact that once you go round a couple of rounds of fixtures, I think it’s far more sensible to have any real assumption of where teams are going to be.
“But let’s not kid ourselves, we’re really pleased with what the lads they’ve given us.
“I thought it was a strong performance we needed to be. I thought it was a polished performance, we needed to have a wee bit of polish on it.
“Technically, we look in a good place, and certainly physically we look in a good place, so long may that continue.”
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Brendan Rodgers says there is still a long way to go in the season as Celtic fall eight points behind league leaders Hearts after a 3-1 defeat at Tynecastle.
Celtic are short of confidence, consistency and key players as they fell to back-to-back Premiership defeats, leaving them in the unfamiliar position of being the chasers.
The Hoops have won 13 of the last 14 league titles, with Rodgers refusing to panic after nine games.
“I think the perspective on it is that we know the challenges, but we still have 29 games to play after today,” the former Liverpool boss told Sky Sports.
“The day that counts is the last game in May.
“We haven’t made the start that we want, but we have to keep believing and keep working with these players to maximise what we can get out of them.
“I said that to the players beforehand, that whichever way this game goes, in the context of it all, there’s so much to play for.
“We haven’t made the start that we would like, Hearts have made a really good start in terms of points and what they’ve collected, but there’s still 29 games to play.
“For us, we need to focus on a performance level that allows us to be more consistent with and without the ball. If we can do that, of course, then what matters really is where you’re at in May.”
What the pundits said
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Neil Lennon and Kris Boyd give their reaction to Celtic’s poor performance against Hearts as defeat sends them eight points off the top of the table.
Former Celtic captain and manager Neil Lennon:
“I think there’s a lot of things he [Brendan Rodgers] has to worry about on the evidence of what we saw today.
“Flat, a little fatigued second half and I thought after the exertions of Thursday and the injuries it would catch up, but there was no freshness, there was no control in the second half at all.
“Didn’t look a threat until, you know, maybe late on in the game and Halkett makes an incredible block from Yamada, but too slow, too pedestrian and then giving away two goals in a short space of time left them a mountain to climb in the second half against a team who are full of energy and on the up.
“If you’re not scoring then you try to be harder to beat and, you know, they’re easy to beat at the minute, they’re easy to play through. The second goal, Kyziridis’ goal, is really poor from a Celtic point of view.”
Celtic managed two shots on target against Hearts
Sky Sports’ Kris Boyd:
“Brendan Rodgers is an elite manager, he’s shown that with the trophies he’s won, the impact he’s had on football clubs when he’s went into them.
“But you’ve now got to look at it and say, Callum McGregor, OK, but he’s been off it for a while. Why is he not getting the best out of Engles? Why is he not getting the best out of Reo Hatate? Why does Kieran Tierney look absolutely miles off it?
“Tounekti’s come in and had rave reviews. He’s had one goal against Partick Thistle in nine games. No assists, one goal.
“It’s always been pointed at the board and everything else, that’s been a distraction as well. So today’s another deflection.
“It’s over to Brendan Rodgers to get his team back playing football in a way that they can win games of football.”
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: skynews.com
