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Lawrence Shankland put the seal on Hearts' statement win At a glance Kyziridis & Shankland secure Hearts win and send them eight points clear at top Celtic's Mc Gregor cancelled out early Murray own goal Hosts go 13 league matches unbeaten for first time in 27 years Rampant Hearts powered eight points clear of Celtic at the top of the Scottish Premiership to bolster their early-season title credentials and deepen the malaise around Brendan Rodgers' side. Alexandros Kyziridis' fine strike and Lawrence Shankland's penalty gave Derek Mc Innes' side a 3-1 lead that the reigning champions could not recover from. Dane Murray - one of three youngsters in the Celtic XI - slashed into his own net early on to put Hearts ahead at a bouncing Tynecastle, and it was the 22-year-old's foul that led to the spot-kick. Callum Mc Gregor's classy first goal of the season had quickly cancelled out Hearts' opener, and Benjamin Nygren almost put Rodgers' team in front, opting for finesse over power and allowing Alexander Schwolow to save from close range. But Derek Mc Innes' irrepressible Hearts seized control again to consign Celtic to successive league defeats for the first time since 2023. It also gives the Edinburgh side a commanding advantage at the summit. The last time they were so far clear was in 2005-06 under George Burley, when they ultimately finished second - one of just four occasions that a team has failed to win the title having held such a lead in the past 27 years. Mc Innes, whose Aberdeen side were second to Celtic on four occasions, has been at pains to play down title talk, as Hearts seek their first top-flight crown since 1960. Rodgers has seen it all before at Celtic - both flawless and stuttering starts to a season. He's yet to finish second best. But on Sunday's evidence, this Hearts team showed they need to be taken seriously. 'A lot of things in their favour' - why Hearts could win title Carter-Vickers could be out until March - what does it mean for Celtic? Sunday's Scottish gossip Hearts started with the confidence of a side unbeaten in the league this season -fans' favourite Kyziridis poked a cross in for Shankland to stab wide. Celtic didn't help themselves with some uncharacteristic carelessness in possession and they buckled under their first real examination. Claudio Braga's header was touched on to a post by Kasper Schmeichel and Shankland's return ball was turned into the net by the unfortunate Murray, in for the injured Cameron Carter-Vickers. Celtic grew into the contest and started stringing passes together. From one such move, Sebastian Tounekti released Tierney to square for Mc Gregor, who rolled in. Aside from the Nygren chance, Celtic struggled to create much for lone frontman Jonny Kenny or his replacement Shin Yamada amid the absence of injured forwards Kelechi Iheanacho and Daizen Maeda. Hearts regained their intensity and adaptability in attacking from across the final third. Kyziridis, one of the finds of the club's relationship with shareholder Tony Bloom's Jamestown Analytics, struck low past Schmeichel from the edge of the box. Almost straight away, Murray tripped Braga in the inside right channel and Shankland converted. And it could've been an even more handsome win, had substitute Ageu not been denied by Schmeichel. Celtic's second half was somewhat summed up in two incidents involving record signing Arne Engles. The midfielder's wayward free-kick delivery was in stark contrast to his midweek exploits in the Europa League win over Sturm Graz and the Belgium international was then booked for a cynical foul. This video can not be played Can Hearts win the title? Derek Mc Innes answers Hearts head coach Derek Mc Innes: "You see how hard the players work, the togetherness. That's not always enough to win games week in, week out. "What we have got, is good technical ability. You're seeing that from a lot of players who have been here previously. Some of the new signings are eager to show that. "We've got a good thing going at the minute, but it's only three points. It's important for us to keep winning. We've got loads to do, loads to do. After the first two rounds of fixtures is normally an indication of where you are. " Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers: "It's a really poor [second Hearts] goal from our perspective. We didn't move when the ball went back as a line so when they play it, they should have players offside but didn't. We have got to do better with the shot. "There's still so many points to play for. It's still so early. It's only nine games in. Obviously, being eight points behind is not what we would want. The comfort is there's so many games to play. "We now have to focus on the here and now and look to find more consistency and more quality in our play. " This video can not be played 'We've still got 29 games left' - Rodgers Celtic are back at home on Wednesday against promoted side Falkirk (19: 45 GMT). At the same time in the Scottish Premiership, Hearts are at St Mirren. After the opportunity to rate players has closed, the score displayed represents the average from all the submissions by BBC Sport users. Last Updated 26th October 2025 at 15: 49 Please Note: All times UK. Tables are subject to change. The BBC is not responsible for any changes that may be made. Manager: Derek Mc Innes Formation: 4 - 4 - 2 Manager: Brendan Rodgers Formation: 4 - 3 - 3 Manager: Derek Mc Innes Formation: 4 - 4 - 2 Manager: Brendan Rodgers Formation: 4 - 3 - 3 Scottish Premiership All competitions All competitions All competitions Heart of Midlothian have lost 14 of their last 16 meetings with Celtic in all competitions, with the exceptions both 2-0 league wins in 2023-24 (December and March). This will be Celtic’s first league meeting with a side starting the day top of the table since they beat Rangers 3-0 in February 2022. However, the Hoops have lost each of their last four away league visits to sides starting the day top, including a 1-0 loss at Hearts in August 2018. Heart of Midlothian have won each of their last four league games without conceding; the last non-Old Firm club (Celtic/Rangers) to win five in a row without conceding in the Scottish Premiership were Aberdeen in April 2023, while Hearts last achieved this in the top-flight in December 2010 – a run which included a 2-0 home win over Celtic. After their 2-0 defeat at Dundee, Celtic are looking to avoid suffering back-to-back league defeats for the first time since December 2023 – when the second was against Hearts (0-2). Away from home, the Bhoys last suffered consecutive league defeats in May 2023. Hearts’ Harry Milne has created more chances from set plays (12) than any player in the Scottish Premiership this season. Meanwhile, no player has more assists in the competition in 2025-26 so far than Milne’s teammate Alexandros Kyziridis (4, level with Cameron Congreve). Match ends, Heart of Midlothian 3, Celtic 1. Second Half ends, Heart of Midlothian 3, Celtic 1. Corner, Celtic. Conceded by Ageu. Harry Milne (Heart of Midlothian) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul. Kieran Tierney (Celtic) wins a free kick on the left wing. Foul by Harry Milne (Heart of Midlothian). Corner, Celtic. Conceded by Stuart Findlay. Attempt blocked. Shin Yamada (Celtic) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Liam Scales. Fourth official has announced 4 minutes of added time. Substitution, Heart of Midlothian. Elton Kabangu replaces Lawrence Shankland. Substitution, Heart of Midlothian. Jamie Mc Cart replaces Stephen Kingsley. Foul by Luke Mc Cowan (Celtic). Ageu (Heart of Midlothian) wins a free kick in the attacking half. Corner, Celtic. Conceded by Michael Steinwender. Attempt blocked. Callum Mc Gregor (Celtic) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Michel-Ange Balikwisha. Stuart Findlay (Heart of Midlothian) is shown the yellow card. Craig Halkett (Heart of Midlothian) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul. Shin Yamada (Celtic) wins a free kick on the left wing. Foul by Craig Halkett (Heart of Midlothian). Foul by Liam Scales (Celtic). Copyright © 2025 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.