“If We Show More Quality, We Win The Game” – Derek McInnes
Hearts manager Derek McInnes feels his side lacked a percentile in quality needed to win in their 2-2 home draw with Celtic. The league leaders came from behind twice against the defending champions to earn a point, with the second equaliser coming once Celtic were reduced to ten men following a red card to defender Austin Trusty. And McInnes feels that his team’s chance creation and control of the game was best of the two sides. He said: “There’s two sides to it. I think when you come from behind twice against a team of Celtic’s quality, there’s always a bit of pride and you want your players to show a bit of perseverance that we did. “But I do think in terms of chances created and how the game played out, I thought we had the better, and more, chances to win the game. “Celtic had a tough game on Thursday night and I think that factored into them, but I thought our energy that we put into the game, our connection from everybody really in terms of effort was there. “And I spoke at half-time to try bring a bit more quality – and if we show more quality, we win the game. We’ve not won the game because of that.” McInnes was irate after Celtic’s opener with a member of Celtic staff’s reaction, which seen the Hearts manager inside the Hoops dugout. The 54-year-old was coy to delve deeper into the incident, but did explain briefly. “That’s one place I’ll not be going! [The Celtic dugout] “It’s nothing to do with Martin [O’Neill] or Shaun [Maloney], it was just one of their inexperienced coaches that got a bit carried away. “That’s all I want to say on it.” Hearts were without captain and top goalscorer Lawrence Shankland today as well as midfield duo Beni Baningime and Cammy Devlin, and McInnes was pleased that their absences were not too hard felt. “There’s no two ways about it, on Sunday/Monday we were all a bit despondent when we get the news on injuries, but overcoming these challenges is part of it. “It’s good that we’ve got boys that have been waiting on the sidelines who played their part today, like [Landry] Kabore who makes us play a bit differently.” Hearts remain six points ahead of Celtic but Rangers reduced their lead at the summit to four points after defeating Dundee 3-0 at Ibrox. The Jambos boss is relishing the title race as the season moves into it’s final fifteen games. “I’m delighted we are where we are. We’ve been there a while now, I think it’s four months now, it’s not a purple patch. “I’m enjoying where we are, but we are well aware that there’s big clubs and good teams are desperate to be where we are, and we’ve got to be ready for that challenge as we go along.” Hearts have three away games in their next four, starting with a trip to Tannadice this Saturday. Their next three games after come against St. Mirren away, Hibs at home and Rangers away. Coming out of these with as few battle scars as possible, might be the difference in a potential historic Heart of Midlothian season.
‘VAR re-refereeing the Game’ – O’Neill Unhappy With Trusty Red Card Call
Interim Celtic manager Martin O’Neill believes it was the wrong decision for Austin Trusty to be sent off following an on-field review. The American defender was initially given a yellow card by referee Steven McLean following his challenge on Landry Kabore in Celtic’s 2-2 draw away to Hearts, but VAR official John Beaton recommended an on-field turnover of decision and sent McLean to the monitor. The yellow was upgraded to a red, with Trusty deemed to be the last man. However, O’Neill disagrees with the need for VAR to interfere. He said: “I do have an argument with the red card. “The referee has given a yellow card and he’s sent over, obviously VAR re-referee the game, and it is no more a red card than a blue card – which don’t exist I don’t think. “First of all, the ball is going away from goal, so the player has to get hold of that and control it. “And secondly, more importantly, is that we’ve got someone in the cover. That’s what the referee saw in the first place, and it puts you under severe pressure in the last twenty odd minutes.” Trusty saw red when the score was at 2-1, with Hearts forward Claudio Braga netting the all important equaliser in the 87th minute. Defeat would have seen Celtic fall nine points behind the league leaders, and O’Neill believes a point a piece was an honest outcome. “They [Hearts] might’ve had the opportunity with us down to ten men and having played on Thursday night, there might have been that chance [of a Hearts win], “But in the overall take of the game, a draw probably is a fair result.” Celtic’s injury list grew by one name as Kieran Tierney was substituted off a moment before Trusty’s sending off. O’Neill is unaware of the extent of it just yet, and in unsure if he will make the Europa League contest fixture with FC Utrecht. “I’ll have another look. He [Tierney] is pretty sore, I’ll see how he is for Thursday.” When asked who would step in to replace him with Marcelo Saracchi also unavailable, O’Neill responded: “Me, coming in there, comeback! We will probably have to just shift somebody over.” Celtic face FC Utrecht of the Eredevisie on Thursday night, knowing a win guarantees them a place in the next round of the Europa League, before turning their attention back to the league with the visit of Falkirk on Sunday.
Hearts 2-2 Celtic: Fiery Drama at Tynecastle Cauldron Ends Even
Hearts came back from behind twice to earn a point in a 2-2 epic against title holders Celtic. Benjamin Nygren gave Celtic the lead from a free-kick inside seven minutes, before second half goals from Stuart Findlay and Claudio Braga either side of a Hyun-jun Yang tap in ensured both sides left Tynecastle with a share of the points. It is the second time in three days Celtic have drawn 2-2 with a man down, after defender Austin Trusty was shown a straight red before Hearts’ second equaliser. Nygren’s opener came inside seven minutes after he was fouled by Hearts debutant Marc Leonard on the edge of the box. The Swede stepped up, and curled one into the top right corner to become joint top scorer of the Premiership so far this season. It is the first time Celtic have scored a direct free kick in the league since January 2021, when David Turnbull netted against Hibs. Landry Kabore felt he should have had a penalty 23 minutes in after he went down dragging an effort way wide. No VAR check was required however, despite a swarm of protests from the Hearts players and fans. The hosts were gifted a golden opportunity to restore parity with around ten minutes of the half remaining. Austin Trusty failed to play a bouncing ball back to his goalkeeper with his knee or thigh which slipped Alexandros Kyziridis through one on one. The Greek winger could not beat the extended leg of Kasper Schmeichel, who produced a fantastic save to keep his side in front. The equaliser would come for Hearts though three minutes after the restart. Debutant Leonard’s inswinging corner to the back post was met by Stuart Findlay, as the centre half rose highest to nod home his sixth goal of the season. Kyziridis had the chance to make amends for his glaring miss 55 minutes in when a flicked-on header fell into his path, but a last-ditch tackle from Liam Scales inside the area brought the Hearts attack to a halt. Just as the hosts looked to have gained the upper-hand on the defending champions, they were stung by a Hyun-jun Yang tap in. After tremendous combination play from Daizen Maeda and new signing Tomas Cvancara down the left hand side, the Czech forward put it on a plate for Yang to fire Celtic ahead with less than half an hour to go. It came just a minute or two following Cvancara having a looping header hit Craig Gordon’s crossbar, and a minute or two before the new recruit was booked and subsequently subbed off. Quite the five minutes for the attacker. Audible disbelief could be heard around Tynecastle when referee Steven McLean brandished a yellow card for Austin Trusty after he brought down Landry Kabore with around fifteen minutes to play. He was sent to the VAR monitor and would send Trusty off, wit the American adjudged to be the last man and denying an obvious goal-scoring opportunity. Celtic had just brought off an injured Kieran Tierney for Dane Murray a moment prior, with Anthony Ralston then being brought on for Yang to further re-arrange an already makeshift backline. With less than seven minutes to play there was a scramble inside the Celtic box that you were just anticipating to be brought to an end by the sound of Hearts fan raptures. A point-blank stop from Schmeichel again nearly creeped beyond him, but the Dane and Arne Engels made sure it only went passed for a corner. But the league leaders would level proceedings with three minutes of regulated time to go. Oisin McEntee headed down a ball from a set-play, and Claudio Braga was in the right place to unleash a rocket passed Schmeichel to give the home side the equaliser just before the fourth official’s board confirmed an additional eight minutes to play. Blair Spittal clipped the bar deep into injury time after the ball fell to him first time just outside the box. It was always rising, but hearts would have been in the mouths of many a Celtic supporter. The draw means that things only get tighter at the top of the table. Celtic are now third still six points behind leaders Hearts, but a win for Rangers over Dundee means the Ibrox side sit second now four points behind the Jambos. Celtic have European matters to take of at home to Utrecht on Thursday before they are back in action domestically at home to Falkirk on Sunday. As for Hearts, they are on the road Saturday as they will hope to seize the opportunity of going further ahead of Celtic before they play, travelling to Tannadice to face Dundee United. HEARTS: Gordon 5, Halkett 7, McCart 5 (McEntee 71’ 3), Braga 7, Kabore 5 (Wilson 90+4 1), Steinwender 4 (Spittal 86’ 1), Milne 5, Findlay 6, Magnusson 4 (Kerjota 71’ 2), Leonard 5, Kyziridis 5 CELTIC: Schemichel 7, Scales 6, Trusty 3, Nygren 6, Cvancara 5 (Tounekti 60’ 2), Yang 5 (Ralston 77’ 2), Araujo 6, Engels 6, Maeda 4, McGregor 5, Tierney 5 (Murray 73’ 1)
Arsenal vs Man United – Match Preview
Arsenal return to Premier League action on Sunday where they will face Michael Carrick’s Manchester United. The last meeting between these sides ended 1-0 to Arsenal at Old Trafford. Italian defender Calafiori got the goal. The Emirates has not been a happy hunting ground in the league for Manchester United, with their last league win against The Gunners coming back in December 2017. Antonio Valencia scored and Jesse Lingard scored a brace. Arsenal come into this fixture off the back of a 3-1 win against Serie A leaders Inter Milan. Jesus scored a brace and Gyökeres scored late on to put the win beyond doubt. In their last Premier League outing, Mikel Arteta’s side drew 0-0 against Nottingham Forest at The City Ground. Despite dropping points, Arsenal extended their lead at the top of the table to 7 points, following Manchester City’s 2-0 defeat at Old Trafford and Aston Villa’s 1-0 defeat at home to Everton. In continuation, since their last defeat, Arsenal have gone on an unbeaten run of 12 games, winning 9 and drawing 3, with 1 of those draws coming against Crystal Palace in the League Cup, where they won on penalties. Manchester United come into this fixture off the back of a 2-0 win at Old Trafford in the Manchester Derby. Mbuemo and Dorgu got the goals. The Red Devils now sit in 5th place, 1 point below rivals Liverpool in 4th. Arsenal have been handed a boost going into Sunday’s clash in N5. Defenders Calafiori and Hincapie have returned to full training with the first-team squad, which means Mikel Arteta has a fully fit squad at his disposal for the first time this season. Earlier in the week, Manchester United confirmed that veteran midfielder Casemiro will depart in the summer. The Brazilian joined The Red Devils in 2022/23, and has so far featured in 146 games, scoring 21 goals. Mikel Arteta ahead of Sunday: “Well, obviously, Michael coming in will bring new ideas. Always, the intensity rises up. You could see that in the Manchester derby, the kind of behaviours and the game that they played, so we will expect a really tough match and we’ll adapt to that for sure. But we are at home and we know how important that game is for us. You guys sell it so well, especially in Spain, because you could see the tension and the rivalry and those individual battles that were there as well that make the game really, really special. So, obviously, two massive clubs that have been fighting at the highest level for so many years and we want to try to have the best possible game to win it.” Michael Carrick on Arsenal: “We have got our ideas on what needs to be done and how we need to get there. Credit to Arsenal, they are in a really strong place for building a squad and recruitment. Mikel takes credit for that, he has done a fantastic job. We have our own ideas on what we need to do and what it is going to take get there and that is what we are working towards. “I am looking forward to the game. It’s a big challenge. They are a very good team. It is pretty obvious to say that, they have so many strong points to their game. It is a big challenge. They are where they are for a reason in the Champions League, we are fully aware of that and not taking that lightly at all. We feel we are in a good place and we go there looking forward to the game. It is where we want to be, we want to be positive with that energy and enthusiasm but we know it is not going to be easy.”
“The players have drawn a line under it” – McGregor reflects on chaotic season
Callum McGregor suggests that Wilfried Nancy’s decision to change “too much too soon” was a deciding factor in the Frenchman’s disastrous reign. Speaking to Sky Sports ahead of Sunday’s table-topping clash at Tynecastle, the Celtic captain thinks the “big change” was overwhelming for the squad. “To go from a team that is super aggressive on the front foot for 10 plus years, playing a certain way and then you bring in the nuance of the league and playing in Scotland, my belief is that you get as much pressure on the ball as much as you can and try and press the game as high as you can and actually eliminates a lot of the defending that you have to do in terms of box defending. “Not to say that it can’t work, but I think everybody is well aware of the time and no pre-season and so many games, so many important games. “Really, really tough situation to come in and have a game every three days where you’re almost learning in the game, and we all know that trying to learn in this environment is probably the harshest environment that you can have.” Nancy’s 33-day tenure was defined by a League Cup Final loss to St Mirren and damaging home defeats to Rangers and Hearts. A return of just two wins from eight games is dismal for a club of Celtic’s stature; as toxicity mounted, the board moved prematurely to sack the former Columbus Crew boss. Central to his struggles was the immediate decision to scrap Celtic’s established 4-3-3 in favour of his own 3-4-3 system, a setup that interim manager Martin O’Neill has already reverted from. Reflecting on the period, Callum McGregor admitted the poor run of form had begun to take a heavy toll on the squad. “When you take away that confidence, everybody starts to struggle with that. “You have to go to the pitch and have confidence and belief in yourself and, ultimately, when you lose games, that does waver. “We’re all human beings at the end of the day, so it does affect you.” Martin O’Neill’s return has restored belief in the side. Thursday’s ten-man draw in Bologna proves his ability to galvanise the squad, and a win at Tynecastle will now put Celtic within reach of the top “There’s been so many negative stories going about this season. There actually is so much positive to look forward to, so much to play for and the players have drawn a line under it,” the 32-year-old added. “I think now for everyone externally as well, we have to draw a line under it and move forward because if we keep dwelling on it, we aren’t going to achieve what it is we want to achieve. “The players are at peace with that, and we know we’ve put ourselves in a difficult position, but still in the conversation with a huge game to come on Sunday.” Follow Hearts v Celtic on SNN Sports this Sunday, with exclusive pre and post-match coverage.
St Johnstone vs Dunfermline – Match Report
Top of the league St Johnstone welcomed fifth place Dunfermline to Perth as the hosts hope to steer away from second place Partick Thistle with the Pars keen on keeping promotion dreams alive The opening exchanges were scrappy and stop-start, with no side creating any chances and no side able to keep possession for long spells. On 7 minutes, Rudden got on the end of a Morrison cross that goalkeeper Steward came for, but headed over. The offside flag was raised in any case. McPake found himself in a good position close to goal, but Chilokoa-Mullen came in with a last ditch challenge to deny the Hearts bound winger. Tod found himself in a shooting position just outside the St Johnstone box, but his low effort was easily saved by Steward. The Saints worked the ball well to Gullan, whose shot from inside the area was saved by the foot of Mehmet. Fraser whipped a ball into the box, which found Rudden who found himself free at the back post, but his headed effort across goal went wide. Gilmour found Morrison on the wing, who once again played a cross into Rudden, who headed wide. Into the second period, Dunfermline opened the scoring. Fraser got on the end of a loose pass from keeper Steward and smashed the ball into the roof of the net on the keeper’s side. McAlear’s corner found Boyes, whose header was goal-bound, but was cleared off the line. Ngwenya got on the end of Todd’s corner, which Steward came out for but failed to connect with, but headed over. Rudden found Tod, whose curling effort went narrowly over the bar. Morrison played a teasing ball across the Dunfermline goal, but no player in blue was there to convert. St Johnstone worked the ball into Forrester, who found himself with space on the edge of the Dunfermline box, but his effort, which worried Mehmet, went narrowly past the post. St Johnstone: Steward (3), Diabate (4), Boyes (5), Holt (C), (5), Gullan (6), Stanton (6), McPake (6), Agyeman (6), Smith (5), Forrester (5), McAlear (6) Substitutes: Ikpeazu (6), Mallan (6), Boyd (6), Fotheringham (6) Dunfermline: Mehmet (7), Chilokoa-Mullen (C) (7), Ngwenya (7), Gilmour (6), Rudden (7), Todd (7), Abdulai (7), Tod (6), Oakley-Boothe (7), Morrison (8), Fraser (9). Substitutes: Hamilton (7), Thomas (6), Kearney (6).
