The Scottish Premiership title was dramatically won by Celtic on the final day of the season after a stunning late comeback secured a 3-1 victory over Hearts at Celtic Park with Kelechi Iheanacho inspiring off the bench.
With victory needed to overtake Hearts at the top of the table, Celtic were pushed to the edge before two late goals inspired by Nigerian forward Kelechi Iheanacho delivered the club’s 14th league title in the last 15 years.
Hearts came within minutes of ending a 66 year wait for the championship and breaking the long dominance of Celtic and Rangers over Scottish football, a grip that has now stretched to 41 years.
The visitors stunned the home crowd in the 43rd minute when Lawrence Shankland rose highest to head home from a Stephen Kingsley corner after goalkeeper Viljami Sinisalo failed to deal with the delivery.
The opening half was played at a frantic pace, although chances were limited because of the enormous pressure surrounding the title decider. Hearts remained organised and disciplined, while Celtic struggled to create clear openings despite dominating possession.
However, hope was restored for Celtic in first half stoppage time after Kieran Tierney’s cross struck the outstretched hand of Alexandros Kyziridis inside the penalty area. Arne Engels stepped up and squeezed his penalty underneath Hearts goalkeeper Alexander Schwolow to level the score.
The atmosphere inside the 60,000 capacity stadium grew even more intense in the second half as Celtic poured forward searching for the title winning goal. Meanwhile, Hearts defended bravely and looked set to complete one of the greatest upsets in Scottish football history.
The introduction of Kelechi Iheanacho changed the momentum of the contest. More urgency and attacking sharpness were added to Celtic’s play, while pressure continued to build around the Hearts penalty area.
Iheanacho almost put Celtic ahead when his effort crashed against the base of the post, while Schwolow was forced into another important save to deny Benjamin Nygren.
Eventually, the breakthrough arrived in dramatic fashion when Daizen Maeda turned in Callum Osmand’s cross deep into stoppage time. Although celebrations were briefly halted by the assistant referee’s flag, VAR overturned the decision and the goal stood.
With Hearts committing everyone forward in search of a late equaliser, the final blow was delivered moments later. Goalkeeper Schwolow had joined the attack, but possession was quickly turned over and Callum Osmand raced clear from inside his own half before calmly rolling the ball into an empty net to confirm Celtic’s title triumph.
As the final whistle sounded, Celtic supporters flooded onto the pitch in wild celebration, while Hearts players were left devastated after another painful collapse in a title race.
For Hearts, the heartbreak added to painful memories from previous near misses in 1965 and 1986, when league titles were also lost in dramatic circumstances on the final day of the season.
Hearts manager Derek McInnes had earlier predicted “bedlam” from the travelling support, and his side initially executed their game plan perfectly before Celtic’s late surge changed everything.
The result completed another dominant season for Celtic, while Iheanacho once again proved decisive. In his short time at the club so far, the Nigerian forward has now made 13 appearances, started four matches and scored five goals.
