Johnny Kenny flops, £5m man shines – Celtic’s three winners and three losers vs Hearts
Celtic suffered a second successive Scottish Premiership defeat as they lost to title rivals Hearts, which leaves them with an uphill task in the title race.
Hearts opened up an eight-point gap at the top of the table with a deserved 3-1 win over Celtic at Tynecastle.
A Dane Murray own goal set the tone for a woeful afternoon in the capital, as further goals from Alexandros Kyziridis and Lawrence Shankland sealed all three points either side of a Callum McGregor equaliser.
Here are Celtic’s three winners and three losers from the contest, as Brendan Rodgers faces a host of issues.
Winners
Callum McGregor
The Celtic captain looked back to his best in the middle of the park, and finished off a well worked goal to get the Hoops level in the first half.
McGregor was let down by his midfield colleagues as Hearts shut off the supply line to the 32-year-old.
His importance to the team was clear to see despite McGregor not yet reaching his high standards from previous seasons.
Sebastian Tounekti
The decision from Rodgers to substitute Sebastian Tounekti off for Michel-Ange Balikwisha for the final 30 minutes was baffling.
Tounekti was direct and caused Hearts problems down the left flank, with his pace also an outlet on the counter-attack.
| Minutes Played | 59 |
| Successful Dribbles % | 50% |
| Fouls Suffered | 2 |
| Ground Duels Won % | 56% |
Celtic could have still got back into the game with Tounekti on the pitch, and their attacking struggles truly showed when he was withdrawn.
Kasper Schmeichel
Kasper Schmeichel may have conceded three goals, but the Dane was not at fault for any of them and kept the scoreline down.
Schmeichel made one superb save in particular to scoop out a header before Murray lashed into his own net.
The 38-year-old also may a couple of fine long passes to launch counter-attacks as he did all he could in goal to help the team.
Losers
Dane Murray
The centre-back was selected over the more experienced Auston Trusty, following Cameron Carter-Vickers’ injury blow
The 22-year-old has four appearances for Celtic this season, but he suffered a nightmare start at Tynecastle when he netted an own goal.
Murray showed no composure to clear a cross, and in doing so Rodgers may opt for Trusty against Falkirk next, before conceding a penalty in the second half.
Colby Donovan
Following Alastair Johnston’s injury against Sturm Graz, the Canadian international was again unavailable to Rodgers.
Rodgers again opted for youth over experience, with 19-year-old Colby Donovan getting the nod over Anthony Ralston.
Hearts winger Alexandros Kyziridis though gave Donovan a tough afternoon and constantly beat the right-back to advance into dangerous positions, and the Greek eventually took advantage by netting Hearts’ second goal.
Johnny Kenny
Kelechi Iheanacho’s injury has given Johnny Kenny an opportunity to stake his claim for greater playing time up-front.
Kenny may not have got much service, but the 22-year-old failed to get himself into the game and had no impact.
Substituted after 59 minutes, Kenny allowed fellow striker Shin Yamada a chance for the final half-an-hour.