Celtic vs Hearts. Scottish Premiership.
Celtic ParkAttendance49,009.
Saturday 2 April 2016 21:51, UK
Teenager Patrick Roberts scored twice as Celtic strengthened their grip on the Scottish Premiership title race, with the Hoops coming from behind to beat Hearts 3-1.
The 19-year-old on-loan midfielder displayed his excellent technique with clinical finishes in each half, although the visitors will have felt aggrieved not to have reached the break on level terms.
Hearts also ended the game with 10 men after Juwon Oshaniwa was dismissed in second half injury time, and it was the visitors who took the lead with the most simple of goals as early as the fifth minute.
As the ball fell kindly to Jamie Walker on the edge of the penalty area, the forward steadied himself before calmly finding the top left-hand corner of the net with very little back-lift. The goal was the first by Hearts at Celtic Park for 296 minutes.
Celtic's first real effort came on 14 when Neil Alexander dived high to his right to push away a Leigh Griffiths free-kick.
And from the resulting corner the hosts were level. With the visiting defence failing to clear the danger, the ball found its way to Gary Mackay-Steven who clinically dispatched it into the bottom right-hand corner of the net from 20 yards.
As the game continued to sway from one end of the park to the other, Oshaniwa and Arnaud Djoum both had chances for Hearts while Griffiths was once again denied by Alexander.
And the Jambos came mighty close to regaining the lead in the 27th minute when a superb curling free-kick by Alim Ozturk clipped the top of the bar with Craig Gordon well beaten.
However, less than a minute after Juanma had wasted another glorious opportunity for Hearts, the hosts were ahead on 35.
After Tom Rogic had battled to claim the ball 40 yards out, he slipped it through to Roberts who glided into the box before using the outside of his foot to steer it wide of Alexander.
In first half stoppage time, Alexander kept his side in the contest a little longer after blocking a fierce Griffiths free-kick.
Yet the game was all but up for the Edinburgh side early in the second half when Roberts broke into the box before clipping the ball into the bottom left-hand corner to leave Hearts two goals adrift.
The remainder of the match was certainly less eventful than for most of the opening 45 minutes, with Celtic seemingly content to see the game out with the minimum of effort while Hearts appeared to accept their fate of a 12th defeat in 14 meetings with the Glasgow giants.
There was just enough time for Gordon to pull off an excellent 89th minute save from Abiola Dauda's eight-yard header following Liam Smith's cross.
But by then the points were well and truly in the pocket of Ronny Deila's team who are now seven points clear with as many games left to play.
And with 92 minutes on the clock, Hearts were reduced to 10 men when Oshaniwa was a little unfortunate to collect his second yellow card of the day.
