Celtic player ratings vs Hearts: 1/10 catastrophic, 2/10 stinks, 7/10 goes it alone
Celtic missed a golden opportunity to close the gap to Rangers at the top of the Scottish Premiership on Sunday afternoon after suffering a 2-0 defeat at Tynecastle.
Referee Don Robertson was at the centre of an action-packed clash which saw both sides awarded a penalty and Tomoki Iwata sent off for a high-foot challenge.
Brendan Rodgers’ side could have leapfrogged arch-rivals Rangers with a win, but defeat means they remain two points behind the league leaders.
PLAYER RATINGS:
Joe Hart [3]
Hart only faced two shots in the first half and conceded them both – luckily for the former England star Shankland’s effort was chalked off for being offside.
He surrendered possession far too many times with sloppy distribution and looked uncomfortable with the ball at his feet.
Alistair Johnston [4]
A forgetful performance from the 25-year-old. Offered very little going forward and defensively poor.
Looked brighter and sharper once Kyogo was brought on at half-time to attack down the right but was unable to find anyone with his deliveries from wide.
Cameron Carter-Vickers [4]
Carter-Vickers will be having nightmares about Shankland tonight.
Rodgers will be pleased to have Carter-Vickers back available but he was far from his best here. Was caught out far too many times due to his lack of acceleration and was lucky to escape a booking.
Liam Scales [6]
One of the better players on the pitch for Celtic but that doesn’t mean much.
The 25-year-old was the standout performer in a poor backline and was often the last line of defence. He made several vital blocks in his six-yard box and spent most of the match covering Taylor’s mistakes.
Greg Taylor [3]
Hearts enjoyed far too much joy down the right-hand side and Taylor was at fault because of his poor positioning and wasteful decisions in possession.
Taylor was extremely lucky that Lawrence Shankland’s goal on the brink of halftime was ruled out as the 26-year-old was nowhere to be seen.
Matt O’Riley [5]
The best of a bad bunch in Celtic’s midfield. O’Riley’s finish in the first half was impressive but he misstimed his run and saw his effort chalked off for offside.
Too many misplaced passes and looked lethargic when getting back to defend. Celtic desperately miss Callum McGregor.
Tomoki Iwata [3]
Not cut out to be a Celtic midfielder. The 26-year-old Japanese midfielder offered nothing going forward with slow build-up play and far too many touches.
Iwata conceded a penalty in the first half, but it’s difficult to fault him for what was a controversial handball decision.
Hooked by Rodgers in the final 10 minutes to cap off a disappointing display.
Paulo Bernardo [4]
Celtic’s young Portuguese star was extremely quiet and failed to stamp his authority in what was a very physical clash.
Rodgers clearly wasn’t impressed and hooked him at half-time for Kyogo.
Yang Hyun-Jun [1]
A complete disaster. Sent off after just 15 minutes for a high-foot challenge.
The decision from referee Don Robertson was controversial, but ultimately Yang’s rash decision to raise his foot let his side down. Celtic continued to control possession after the red card but it’s hard to picture them losing the match with 11 men on the pitch.
Adam Idah [2]
A stinker from start to finish.
Celtic’s hero from the 7-1 win over Dundee looked lost on his own up front and missed a crucial penalty just minutes before Yang’s red card. Fans were pleading for Idah to sign permanently after his stellar performance last week but they might have a change of heart after Sunday’s showing.
Daizen Maeda [3]
It is staggering that Maeda lasted the full 90 minutes. He covered plenty of ground in Tynecastle and his effort can’t be questioned, but he lacked quality in the final third.
Rodgers tried swapping flanks but Maeda offered no threat on the left or right.
Substitutes
Kyogo Furuhashi [7] – Thrown on at half-time by Rodgers to try and rescue the game. Celtic’s Japanese star was immediately their biggest threat in the second half but he found himself having to do it all alone.
Daniel Kelly [5] – Replaced Iwata for the final 10 minutes.
In other news, Kieran Maguire reveals £10m Celtic advantage over Rangers after fan outrage
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