Copyright scotsman
It promised to be a day that’d go down in folklore and it might viewed as a defining one come May after a 3-1 Hearts win over Celtic. The Jambos raced in front through a Dane Murray own goals as dreams of Tony Bloom’s title winning prophecy being fulfilled shot up, with the Brighton chairman and minority investor himself watching on from the stands. Callum McGregor brought the temperature down with a quick leveller but this was still playing out as the blood and thunder contest many expected. Hearts cranked up the heating to full blast in an epic reclaiming of the lead. First it was Alexandros Kyziridis blasting low into the net and then a Claudio Braga barge into the box was halted by Murray, with Lawrence Shankland firing home a penalty spot winner. Hearts are now eight points clear and talk of a title charge is very much alive after this. We were in the press box for this one. Here’s five things we spotted. Say what you want about will they or won’t they, but Hearts must be taken seriously in this title race now. There is a realistic world in which the Jambos go into the international break an astonishing 11 points clear albeit with Celtic holding a game in hand should results pan out as Hearts hope between now and the second weekend in November. There’s a long way to go and bumps on the road will fully test this side’s mettle, but this was a statement of intent. Celtic, at least inside the stadium, felt like underdogs. For the fifth time in a row, Hearts named the same starting team, the first time that has happened since 2010. There are areas of this team that some speculated over changes, with the right-hand side seeing midfielder Oisin McEntee and left-back Harry Milne operating on that flank, but going with what’s worked says a lot about how well drilled McInnes has them. You know what they are going to do and how they will go about it, yet it’s still hard to stop. Why tinker unless necessary? As the man who’s ploughed close to £10m into Hearts and brought Jamestown Analytics to Gorgie, fans chanted in his name in sentiments similar to the early days of the Vladimir Romanov era. Hearts are not perfect but it was made abundantly clear in this one that this that they can match Celtic, having already beaten a Rangers side who look lost at sea. They might not win the league this year but Bloom’s assertion that a title can be scooped within a decade looks totally plausible on evidence of this. Only a fool would ignore the tremors Hearts are creating. Celtic fans are known for their version of the Poznan, The Huddle, where fans stand facing away from the pitch arm in arm to bounce in merry fashion. Oasis brought it to Murrayfield in the summer and a mere jaunt across the city, Hearts fans rubbed their glee in the faces of the Celtic support watching on in Gorgie. Punters are fully invested in this team as cries of ‘we shall not be moved’ rang out. Perhaps what will excite Hearts fans most is that this squad has probably not peaked. Record signing Ageu was given his Tynecastle debut here and the likes of Michael Steinwender were able to be deployed off the bench. Even the likes of derby difference maker Sabah Kerjota are jostling to just get a minute of action and Islam Chesnokov will only add more firepower. Purely league business to worry about until January’s Scottish Cup fourth round will see Hearts awash with options.
