Celtic retained the Scottish Premiership title in dramatic fashion on Sunday, scoring twice in stoppage time to beat Hearts 2-0 at Celtic Park. The victory sealed a fifth consecutive league championship for the Glasgow club, extinguishing Hearts’ hopes of a first title since 1960.
The match was a tense final-day decider, with Hearts needing a win to snatch the crown. Celtic, who had led the table for much of the season, were frustrated for 90 minutes by a resilient Hearts defence. But two goals in added time broke Hearts’ resistance and sparked wild celebrations.
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers praised his team’s character. “At times it looked lost, but in that dressing-room, never ever did they stop believing for one second,” he said. “We make plenty of mistakes, but there’s great courage in the team. Not physical courage, mental courage, which has carried us over the line.”
Hearts manager Steven Naismith was magnanimous in defeat, describing Celtic’s belief as “special”. He added: “It’s hard as players, when you feel that negativity. … We won the title on that, basically. Hopefully we can use this as a catapult to get the club back on track.”
Celtic captain Callum McGregor lifted the trophy amid fireworks and confetti, as the stadium rang out with “You’ll Never Walk Alone”. The club now turn their attention to next week’s Scottish Cup final.
