Celtic defeat Hearts on dramatic final day as Martin O’Neill’s side lift 5th consecutive Scottish Premiership title

Celtic have been crowned champions of Scotland for the fifth time in a row, securing the Scottish Premiership title after a 3-1 victory over Hearts.

The Hoops went into this one trailing the Jambos by a point. They knew that anything other than three points would see the Edinburgh side win the league, and it’s safe to say that they understood the assignment.

It was a tight affair for most of the first half, but with 43 minutes on the clock, Lawrence Shankland found himself unmarked at the back post. He headed with power past Viljami Sinisalo as the away end erupted, chanting “we shall not be moved” as they extended their lead at the top of the table.

But there was more to come before the break, as in the final moments, Alexandros Kyziridis slid with his arm up, and Kieran Tierney’s cross struck it. Don Robertson wasted no time in pointing to the penalty spot, and after some VAR deliberation, the decision stood.

Arne Engels stepped up and fired low from the spot kick. Alexander Schwolow went the right way, but it slid under him as the sides were locked going into half-time.

As the second half kicked off, it looked like Hearts were going to hold on, with them keeping Celtic at bay, but just when things were looking exciting for the Jambos, tragedy struck.

With 87 minutes played, the ball was played through to Callum Osmand. The attacker, making his return from injury, cut it low across the box to Daizen Maeda, who popped up to strike it past the goalkeeper. After a VAR check, Osmand was ruled to be onside, and the goal stood.

Then, as Hearts pushed players up, including goalkeeper Schwolow, to threaten the Hoops, it came back to bite them. In the final moments of the eight minutes of added time, Osmand broke into acres of open space, tapping it into the net to ensure there would be no more twists in the tale.

Fans burst onto the pitch as it was confirmed that Celtic were, again, the champions of Scotland. After 250 days at the top of the table, Hearts were dethroned by Martin O’Neill’s men, and it was in exciting fashion.

O’Neill spoke to the fans inside Celtic Park after the final whistle. He said: “The players and coaching staff have given me a reason to live! That’s not to say my family haven’t! But this is the most special place on earth.

“When there is unison in this stadium, it is a sight to behold, and obviously the players have been magnificent, optimised by the captain, but we could not have won it without the supporters.

“I had a great team back then. That team won their matches for me, and this is exactly what this team has done: they’ve won the games for me.

“Celtic today, when there is unison in the stadium, it’s rocking. And they never give up. Maybe I did, but they didn’t.

“I’m never sure about momentum because that can change in an instant. People kept saying we had momentum and we were striding hard. If you’d asked me before we played Rangers, would I take it into the final day? I would’ve bitten your arm off. So, we did it here. If Hearts had gone and got the result, we couldn’t have done any more. We put our heart and soul into the games.

“We made plenty of mistakes, but there is plenty of courage in the team. I’m not talking about physical courage but mental courage, which has carried us over the line.”

One name on everyone’s lips is James Forrest, who has broken the record for most top-flight titles in Britain. The record, previously held by Sandy Archibald for Rangers in Scotland, stood at 13, but Forrest now has 14 league trophies in his pocket.

He has also beaten out Ryan Giggs across the border, who won 13 titles with Manchester United.

It’ll be a night of celebration for all Celtic players, and a bitter one to take for Hearts, who departed the stadium shortly after the full-time whistle. Despite how things ended, the Jambos have been incredible this season, and they’ll be hoping to be in the race again next season.

For the Hoops, they’ll be wanting a stronger start next campaign. It is still unclear who their next manager will be, but some are calling for O’Neill to be given another season in the job after the incredible achievement he has managed to pull off.

Only time will tell what will happen, but one thing is for sure: after a 3-1 victory on a massive day, Celtic are champions.