Clear at the top
The Premiership season may only be four games in, but Celtic have a slender lead at the top of the table. The Hoops maintained their perfect start to the campaign by earning all three points against Hearts. It wasn’t all their own way, with the Jambos by far and away the third best team in the country, but it was an important result all the same. As much as it’s only two points, the champions now boast an early lead over Rangers in the title race. The teams will meet in two weeks’ time at Parkhead in the first derby match of the season. You can bet that Ange Postecoglou will be eying up the chance to extend that advantage heading into September.
No signs of sleeping on the job
Celtic knew that with a win today they would go two clear of their arch Glasgow rivals. That’s the advantage of playing a day later after your title foes drop points. As stated, it wasn’t exactly the greatest of games performance-wise from the Hoops, but this result was very much a case of ‘job done’. Celtic’s players set about the task as they do in every domestic game, to suffocate their opponent high up the pitch, to hound them down, to pressurise and to dominate possession. There was the odd shaky moment at the back, but good teams will create chances.
Postecoglou frustration
The Australian is a calm figure on the touchline. He has been since he arrived over one-year-ago. While he was largely calm on the sidelines in this one, it did appear, certainly in the first-half, that he was growing frustrated with his side wasting opportunities. Daizen Maeda should have scored to double the Hoops’ early lead which would’ve made the remainder of the game far more comfortable. Instead, Hearts very much remained in the match. While Robbie Neilson’s men were unable to take advantage of the tight score to get something from the game, that’s not to say another team couldn’t. The boss will of course be delighted with the victory upon reflection at full-time, with the score ending 2-0 at the death.
