Celtic stun Hearts late to seal dramatic Scottish Premiership title

Celtic FC produced a sensational late comeback to beat Heart of Midlothian FC and clinch the Scottish Premiership title in dramatic fashion, denying the Edinburgh club a historic first league crown since 1960, Sport360NG reports. 

Heading into the decisive final-day showdown at Celtic Park, Hearts required only a draw to end decades of dominance by the Old Firm and become the first side outside Celtic and Rangers to win the Scottish top flight since Aberdeen in 1985.

However, the title race took another dramatic twist as Celtic overturned a first-half deficit to secure a 3-1 victory and claim a fifth consecutive league title.

Lawrence Shankland had fired Hearts ahead shortly before the interval, rising highest at the back post to nod home from Stephen Kingsley’s corner after Celtic goalkeeper Viljami Sinisalo failed to deal with the delivery.

But Celtic responded immediately before half-time when Arne Engels converted from the penalty spot after Kieran Tierney’s cross struck the arm of Alexandros Kyziridis inside the area.

The home side dominated possession after the restart, especially following the injury-enforced withdrawal of Hearts midfielder Beni Beningime early in the second half.

Substitute Kelechi Iheanacho came close to restoring Hearts’ advantage when he struck the post, while goalkeeper Alexander Schwolow produced key saves to deny Benjamin Nygren as the visitors attempted to hold on.

With tensions rising inside a packed Celtic Park, Daizen Maeda eventually broke Hearts’ resistance two minutes from time, poking home from Callum Osmand’s cross. The goal was initially ruled out before a VAR review overturned the decision, sparking wild celebrations among the home supporters.

Osmand then wrapped up the title in stoppage time after breaking clear on the counterattack as Hearts pushed everyone forward in search of an equaliser.

The triumph saw Celtic move ahead of rivals Rangers with a record 56 league titles and complete another remarkable domestic campaign.

It also marked another memorable achievement for interim manager Martin O’Neill, who guided Celtic to the championship 22 years after his previous title-winning spell with the club. The veteran coach secured his first victory over Derek McInnes’ Hearts side this season after suffering two defeats and a draw in earlier meetings.

Hearts had spent months at the top of the table after taking over first place in September and appeared on course for a fairytale ending as they attempted to become the first non-Old Firm champions in four decades.

McInnes, who previously finished runner-up to Celtic three consecutive times during his time at Aberdeen, was left to settle for second place once again despite an impressive debut campaign with Hearts.

The final-day showdown was Scotland’s first title decider to go down to the last match since 1991, with Celtic entering the clash full of confidence after a controversial late penalty secured a dramatic 3-2 win at Motherwell earlier in the week.

Despite hopes across Scotland that Hearts could finally break the Old Firm grip on the title, Celtic once again proved decisive when it mattered most.