Celtic new boys Arne Engels and Luke McCowan opened their accounts for the club as the champions finally shook off a spirited Hearts effort to maintain their perfect start to the season.
Engels opened the scoring after a goalless first half as Celtic came out on the right side of two huge penalty calls in the match, but the visitors hung into the contest to inspire one or two nervy moments for their hosts late on.
Substitute McCowan settled any anxieties though with a couple of minutes remaining, a dream moment for the boyhood Celtic fan, before Adam Idah had a stoppage time strike ruled out for offside that would have put the icing on the cake for Brendan Rodgers.
The Celtic manager will settle though for another three points to maintain his team’s place at the top of the table in the early running.
Here are the talking points from Celtic Park…
A tale of two penalties as VAR call goes against Hearts…
At the start of the season, the Scottish FA’s new head of refereeing operations Willie Collum said that we would see some handball incidents this term that may previously have been awarded as penalties go unpunished, and there was a perfect example here in the first half. Eventually.
Lawrence Shankland and Liam Scales contested a Hearts corner, with the striker heading the ball off the arm of his marker and referee Colin Steven pointing to the spot, much to the outrage and surprise of the home players.
After a VAR review though, the official presumably decided that it had come at Scales from such close range that he couldn’t avoid making contact, and overturned his initial decision.
If Hearts felt aggrieved at that call though, they would be fizzing shortly after the restart…
…and VAR call goes for Celtic
This is where it all gets a little bit muddy based on Collum’s recent comments.
When Nicolas Kuhn raced down the Celtic right and swung a cross into the area, there seemed more than a hint of hope around the calls for a handball offence against Hearts full back James Penrice, though the ball clearly did come off his arm.
The player immediately signalled that his arms had however been in tight to his chest, and referee Steven seemed to agree, deciding not to award a penalty based on what he had seen in real time. However, he was once again called to the monitor, and he once again overturned his on-field decision and pointed to the spot.
Steven Naismith threw his head back towards the heavens, perhaps not knowing whether to laugh or cry. The Hearts manager can’t catch a break, and Collum should brace for his phone to be ringing on Monday morning. Perhaps his ears, too.
Engels makes light of price tag with assured display
The big Belgian was thrown in for his first Celtic start, and the home fans eagerly waited to see just what their £11m had got them. They wouldn’t be disappointed. It would be fair to say that the 21-year-old seems completely unburdened by the expectation that comes with the club record price tag.
From the off, he provided a threat, charging into the box with a late run to get on the end of an Alistair Johnston cutback and firing just wide.
A lovely flick from Kuhn then presented him with a yard of space inside the box and he was desperately unlucky to see his left-foot effort cannon off the inside of Craig Gordon’s post and out to safety.
He wouldn’t be denied though, and when Celtic were awarded their spot kick, he had the self confidence to puff his chest out, walk up and demand the ball from Reo Hatate, who after some token resistance, acquiesced to his new teammate.
Engels strolled up and stroked it home into the bottom right-hand corner, sending Gordon the wrong way to open his account for the club.
He almost scored a lovely second with an audacious flick at the near post, but he had more than done enough to earn the standing ovation that greeted his departure from the action late on.
The Champions League awaits on Wednesday, where he will be expected to produce more of the same.
Much better defensively from Hearts
With an illness keeping Frankie Kent out of the starting XI, you might have feared the worst for Naismith’s beleaguered outfit as they staggered into the teeth of what was sure to be a Celtic whirlwind, but after weathering an early storm, they actually coped reasonably well.
The move to a back five seemed to help, and they stayed compact to repel the majority of the intricate interplay from Celtic around the edge of their 18-yard box.
In fact, after their penalty had been overturned, they actually grew into the contest, and might even have nicked a draw late on as substitute Musa Drammeh almost prodded home from close range.
It wasn’t to be, and it is now seven defeats in a row in all competitions. While some of those losses though offered little to no crumbs of comfort, there were at least some signs of life in Naismith’s team here to suggest all may not yet be lost.
McCowan living the dream
It was hard for anyone not wearing maroon inside Celtic Park to grudge McCowan his moment as he lapped up the adulation of the home support after his late shot had just crept past Craig Gordon, kissed the inside of the post and rolled into the net.
Sentiment aside though, the former Dundee skipper showed that he is also at the club to contribute. He may well be cast in a supporting role for the most part, but he has to grasp whatever chances come his way, and he did so here.
