🔗 Share this article Powerful Heart of Midlothian Defeat Meek Celtic to Go Eight Points Clear Lawrence Shankland put the seal on Hearts' statement win Key points Kyziridis & Shankland earn Hearts win and propel them eight ahead at summit Callum McGregor cancelled out the early own goal by Dane Murray Hearts go 13 games unbeaten for first time in over two decades Rampant Hearts powered eight points clear of their Glasgow rivals at the top of the Scottish top flight to bolster their early championship claims and worsen the malaise around the Celtic team. A superb goal from Kyziridis and Lawrence Shankland's penalty gave Derek McInnes' side a 3-1 lead that the reigning champions could not overcome. The young defender - one of three youngsters in the Celtic XI - slashed into his own net in the early stages to put Hearts ahead at a bouncing their home ground, and it was the 22-year-old's foul that led to the penalty. A stylish finish from McGregor of the season had quickly cancelled out the first goal, and Benjamin Nygren almost put Rodgers' team in front, choosing placement over power and allowing Alexander Schwolow to make a crucial stop. But the unstoppable Hearts side seized control again to consign Celtic to successive league defeats for the first time since last year. It also gives the Hearts a commanding advantage at the summit. The last time they were so far clear was in 2005-06 under their former manager, when they ended as runners-up - a rare instance that a team has not secured the title having held such a lead in the past 27 years. The Hearts coach, whose Aberdeen side were second to Celtic on four occasions, has been at pains to downplay title talk, as Hearts seek their maiden league title since the 1960s. Rodgers has seen it all before at the club - both perfect and shaky beginnings to a season. He's yet to finish second best. But on Sunday's evidence, this Edinburgh outfit showed they need to be taken seriously. Match Analysis: Hearts Take Advantage of Weakened Celtic The Edinburgh side started with the confidence of a side unbeaten in the league this season - fans' favourite Kyziridis delivered a ball for Shankland to stab wide. Celtic didn't help themselves with some unusual sloppiness in possession and they buckled under their first real examination. Claudio Braga's header was touched on to a post by the Celtic keeper and the follow-up from Shankland was turned into the net by the unfortunate Murray, in for the absent center-back. The away side found their rhythm and started building moves. From a flowing attack, the midfielder released Tierney to set up the captain, who rolled in. Aside from the opportunity for Nygren, Celtic struggled to create much for lone frontman Jonny Kenny or his replacement Shin Yamada amid the unavailability of injured forwards their key strikers. The home team rediscovered their energy and versatility in attacking from across the final third. The Greek forward, one of the finds of the club's scouting network, struck low past Schmeichel from the edge of the box. Immediately after, Murray fouled the midfielder in the inside right channel and Shankland converted. And it could've been an more comprehensive victory, had substitute Ageu not been stopped by Schmeichel. Celtic's second half was partially encapsulated in a couple of moments involving record signing Arne Engles. The set-piece from Engles delivery was in sharp opposition to his midweek exploits in the Europa League win over their Austrian opponents and the national team player was then booked for a cynical foul. What They Said Hearts head coach Derek McInnes: "You see how hard the players work, the togetherness. That's not sufficient on its own to win games week in, week out. "Our strength lies in, is good technical ability. You're witnessing it from multiple individuals who have been here before. Recent additions are keen to demonstrate their quality. "We've got a good thing going at the minute, but it's just one win. It's crucial for us to maintain this form. We've got much work ahead, loads to do. Following the initial fixtures is typically a benchmark of where you are." The Celtic boss: "It's a really poor goal from our perspective. We didn't move when the play was recycled as a defensive unit so when they play it, they ought to be caught offside but weren't. We have got to improve with the shot. "Plenty of matches to play for. It's only the beginning. It's just nine matches. Clearly, being eight adrift is not what we would want. The positive is there's so many games to play. "Our attention must turn on the present and look to achieve greater stability and better performance in our play." Upcoming Fixtures for Both Sides? Celtic are returning to their stadium on midweek against newly-promoted Falkirk (19:45 GMT). At the identical hour in the Scottish Premiership, Hearts are at their opponents' ground. Player of the Match Jersey: 89 Alexandros Kyziridis Player rating 8.65 Hearts Player Scores Number: 89 Alexandros Kyziridis - Average Rating: 8.65 Jersey: 9 L. Shankland - Score: 8.40 Number: 4 Craig Halkett - Average Rating: 8.30 Number: 10 Cláudio Braga - Average Rating: 8.27 Number: 14 Cameron Devlin - Score: 8.22 Jersey: 6 B. Baningime - Score: 8.16 Jersey: 19 S. Findlay - Average Rating: 8.07 Jersey: 3 Stephen Kingsley - Average Rating: 8.06 Jersey: 18 H. Milne - Score: 8.05 Jersey: 25 Alexander Schwolow - Average Rating: 8.04 Jersey: 31 O. McEntee - Score: 7.74 Jersey: 40 Ageu - Score: 7.35 Number: 7 Eliezer Kabangu - Score: 7.22 Number: 22 Theodor Magnússon - Average Rating: 7.05 Jersey: 15 M. Steinwender - Average Rating: 7.01 Number: 5 J. McCart - Score: 6.82 Visitors Ratings Number: 42 C. McGregor - Average Rating: 4.02 Number: 1 K. Schmeichel - Score: 3.85 Number: 63 K. Tierney - Score: 3.68 Number: 23 S. Tounekti - Score: 3.56 Jersey: 5 L. Scales - Average Rating: 3.43 Number: 51 C. Donovan - Score: 3.34 Number: 8 B. Nygren - Score: 3.28 Number: 27 Arne Engels - Average Rating: 3.24 Jersey: 49 J. Forrest - Average Rating: 3.10 Jersey: 14 L. McCowan - Average Rating: 3.09 Number: 41 Reo Hatate - Score: 3.05 Jersey: