Something special is happening at Hearts, the question is can Celtic or any other team stop their title hopes?
The Jumbos are unbeaten in the Scottish Premiership and eight points clear of the Hoops afterwards they beat the reigning champions 3-1 in Tynecastle Park.
Derek McInnes made an unchanged starting position for the fifth game in a row, while Brendan Rodgers looked to replace his academy and fringe players with first-team regulars.
“We’re not going to move” echoed around Tynecastle Park, but McInnes did not see it as a “statement win”, while Rodgers called for “prospect” so early in the season.
“We take the three points and put them in our pocket and we’re happy with that,” the Hearts head coach told Sky Sports.
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Hearts manager Derek McInnes gives his reaction to his side’s impressive 3-1 win over Celtic as Hearts extend their gap at the top of the table.
“I don’t think it’s a victory by statement. It could be for others on the outside looking in. It could change opinions. It could confirm opinions that there is a tightrope.”
“I honestly think that, and I’ll stick to that, the fact that once you get through a couple of rounds of games, I think it’s a lot more sensible to have any real guess about where the teams are going to be.”
“But let’s not kid ourselves, we’re really happy with what the boys have given us.”
“I thought it was a strong performance that we needed to be. I thought it was a polished performance, we needed to polish up a little bit.”
“Technically, we look in a good place, and we certainly look in a good place physically, so long may it continue.”
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Brendan Rodgers says there is still a long way to go in the season as Celtic fall eight points behind league leaders Hearts after a 3-1 defeat at Tynecastle.
Celtic lack confidence, consistency and key players as they slump to back-to-back defeats in the Premiership, leaving them in the unfamiliar position of being chasers.
The Hoops have won 13 of their last 14 league titles and Rodgers refused to panic after nine games.
“I think the perspective is that we know the challenges, but we still have 29 games to play after today,” the former Liverpool boss told Sky Sports.
“The day that counts is the last game in May.”
“We haven’t started where we want to but we have to keep believing and keep working with these players to maximize what we can get out of them.”
“I told the players beforehand, that no matter how this game goes, in the context of all that, there is something to play for.”
“We haven’t started as well as we would have liked, Hearts have started really well in terms of points and what they have collected, but there are still 29 games to play.
“For us, we need to focus on a level of performance that allows us to be more consistent with and without the ball. If we can do that, of course, what really matters is where you are in May.”
What the experts said
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Neil Lennon and Chris Boyd react to Celtic’s poor performance against Hearts as the defeat dropped them eight points off the top of the table.
Former Celtic captain and manager Neil Lennon:
“I think there are a lot of things he (Brendan Rodgers) has to worry about on the evidence of what we saw today.
“Flat, a bit tired second half and I thought after the effort on Thursday and the injuries that it would come, but there was no freshness, no control in the second half.
“It didn’t look like a threat until, you know, maybe late in the game and Halkett made an incredible block from Yamada, but too slow, too pedestrian and then giving up two goals in a short space of time left them with a mountain to climb in the second half against a team that is full of energy and on the rise.”
“If you don’t score then you try to be harder to beat and, you know, they’re easy to beat at the moment, easy to get past them. The second goal, Kiziridis’ goal, is really bad from Celtic’s point of view.”
Celtic managed two shots on goal against Hearts
Chris Boyd of Ski Sports:
“Brendan Rodgers is an elite manager, he’s shown that with the trophies he’s won, the impact he’s had on football clubs when he’s joined them.
“But now you have to look at it and say, Callum McGregor, OK, but he’s been out of it for a while. Why isn’t he getting the best of English? Why isn’t he getting the best of Reo Hatate? Why does Kieran Tierney look absolutely miles away from it?
“Tounecti came in and had great reviews. He had one goal against Partick Thistle in nine games. No assists, one goal.
“It was always aimed at the scoreboard and everything, and it was a distraction. So today is another diversion.”
“It’s up to Brendan Rodgers to get his team back to playing football in a way that they can win football games.