And that’s all from me. Here’s Ewan Murray’s report on the Hearts game. Bye!
Here’s a Press Association report on Celtic’s win over Motherwell:
Celtic’s Martin O’Neill has a chat:
double quotation mark Very difficult to sum it up. Whatever we lack, and we lack certain things, heart is not part of it. They kept going to the very end. It was a brilliant effort, really brilliant. Of course, when the time was running out, Motherwell had got the equalising goal. there’s a calm about them, we’re desperate to get a goal at the other end. We got a penalty, which looks as if it’s pretty clear-cut. I’m delighted for the team, delighted for the supporters.
We knew this was a really difficult game for us. Motherwell are a really fine footballing side. There were moments in the first half where they kept us out of the game. We got 2-1 in front and it was a long time to try to see things through. Do you know what I’m delighted to, at least we’ve got a chance. We’ve taken it into the final game of the season, and that looked an impossibility five or six weeks ago.
On the contribution of Iheanacho, whose penalty was extremely assured:
double quotation mark He’s seriously been brilliant for us. He’s won matches for us. He’s been fantastic. The little cameo roles he’s been performing have just been sublime.
Hearts manager Derek McInnes has a chat with Sky, and this is his view of the Celtic penalty decision:
double quotation mark Having seen it again I think it’s disgusting. It is. I don’t think it’s a penalty kick. But we’re up for anything, and we’ll be up again on Saturday. I think it’s so poor that they’ve been given that penalty. I think they’ve been very fortunate. Very fortunate.
So now his side need a point at Celtic Park on Saturday:
double quotation mark It’s difficult, because nobody plays football to draw a game. It’s a difficult mindset, when players are tuned to win games, to just play for a point. So I think we’ve got to try to be positive. Celtic are in good form. Martin have done so well tog et them into this position. And it’s perfect in terms of drama for you guys. We’re just delighted we’re part of it. Now we need to make sure we win the title now.
And on tonight’s match:
double quotation mark Once we settled in the game … Falkirk caused us problems, caused a wee bit of anxiety. we looked a bit nervy first five or 10 minutes. But once we get into the game, and moreso once we get the first goal, we’re up and running. Once we scored the first goal we never looked back. We took a leap of confidence, we looked more like ourselves,. I thought we were good value for the 2-0 lead at half-time.
We wanted to win the game convincingly but we wanted the three points first and foremost. Thankfully we got the third goal and we managed to enjoy the last part of the game. I thought we were very good in the second half. For us to get to 80 points is unbelievable. So proud of them, proud of the atmosphere here tonight. The focus was on us. It’s difficult when the crowd interact like that,. at half-time I said to the players, focus on us, don’t get distracted, don’t get into conversations with the crowd.
Matt Guthrie emails: “For those of us without access to video. was it a handball, or is there going to be yet another debate about the refs favouring you-know-who?” The more I see it, the worse the decision looks. The player’s hand is in an unnatural position, for sure, but I think it’s a stinker.
Ewan Murray has filed his match report from Tynecastle:
Last summer. had anyone carrying a magic lamp offered supporters of Hearts the prospect of claiming a point on the final day of the season to win Scotland’s Premiership the response would have been emphatic. Hearts have not been champions since 1960. Old Firm dominance of has lasted four decades. Breaking both moulds had been portrayed as fanciful.
Being placed in that exact scenario will give palpitations to those in maroon between now and Saturday. Hearts will travel to Celtic Park with their fate in their own hands. in opposition to a dominant club, for whom domestic success comes as second nature.
The replays of the penalty incident are … interesting. The defender’s hand is raised,. as they’re pointing out on Sky the way the ball comes off him – flying away at pace – seems to be clear evidence that the ball hit his head. Had the ball only hit his hand, it wouldn’t have behaved like that at all. The replay –. there seems to only be one angle – makes it look like a handball but my suspicion is that the ball dropped over his hand and hit his head, and the referee and his team have made a potentially title-deciding mistake there.
Frankie Kent of Hearts:
double quotation mark Towards the end of the game, we were getting information from the crowd. It’s a bit of a mental situation. We were just trying to keep pushing. It’s a good night, a special night, but one more to go.
Callum McGregor of Celtic:
double quotation mark No nights better than that. That’s huge. From where we’ve come from, to still be in it. You can hear the crowd, you can hear the players. Nothing’s won yet. Our job is to keep everyone calm. Football’s full of special moments but now we need to put a lid on that and go again.
So tonight’s final scores:
Hearts 3-0 Falkirk Motherwell 2-3 Celtic Rangers 1-2 Hibernian
Meanwhile in the Premier League:
Manchester City 3-0 Crystal Palace
In the League One playoff semi-finals:
Stockport County 2-0 Stevenage (Stockport win 3-0 on aggregate)
And in the Women’s Super League:
Unnoticed goal alert: Dane Scarlett scored in the 89th minute to give Hibernian a 2-1 win at Ibrox.
An incredible last-minute mood swing. Hearts are top of the league and only need to avoid defeat, but the fans at Tynecastle are gutted. In the away end at Fir Park it’s shirts off, flares firing, chaos.
The top of the table tonight. Hearts lead by a point, and just need to avoid defeat. But for that handball …
90+whoknowshowmany mins: The final whistle blows, and Iheanacho’s penalty was the final kick of the game! The title will be decided at Celtic Park on Saturday lunchtime,. any kind of home win will give Celtic the title. Any other result and it’s Hearts’.
A pitch invasion at Fir Park after Iheanacho tucks away the penalty! Crazy, crazy scenes. Had they failed to win tonight they’d have handed Hearts a massive advantage, but they’ve got away with it!
90+9 mins: Iheanacho will take it …
90+7 mins: Celtic have been very literally handed a lifeline!
90+4 mins: The final whistle blows at Tynecastle, and Hearts have done their job. But at Fir Park the VAR review continues: the referee has been told to go to the monitor to judge a possible handball!
90+3 mins: Into the last minute of both tonight’s key games. though there’s a Celtic player down at Fir Park, holding his face after going down in the penalty area. Surely no VAR drama?
90+1 mins: At Motherwell Regan Charles-Cook gets to the byline, Celtic’s defence creaking. There’s only one teammate for him to pick out in the penalty area, though, and he can’t find him.
89 mins: There are going to be five minutes of stoppage time at Motherwell. of which a few have already been played. At Hearts there are going to be three. The games might end at about the same time.
88 mins: They’re into stoppage time at Fir Park. Three minutes to play at Tynecastle.
And Hearts extend their lead! Every goal is precious, with goal difference having the potential to be decisive if scores remain the same. It’s a lovely strike from Spittal. who from the right-hand corner of the area sends in a low, left-footed curler that creeps in at the far post!
85 mins: Kabore, who came on for Claudio Braga a couple of minutes ago (with Kerjota replacing Kyziridis at the same time), is released down the left. his cross is cut out. Hearts have a corner.
83 mins: The game at Fir Park kicked off a couple of minutes before the one at Tynecastle,. its second halves started another minute earlier. So there are four minutes left there, and seven left here!
But now Motherwell do equalise! A cross from the right leads to chaos: a shot, another shot, a third shot,. that one does go in, Liam Gordon turning it in from six yards!
80 mins: Motherwell hit the bar! A deflection takes Elliot Watt’s shot away from Sinisalo, but it drops onto the bar. Maswanhise can’t turn in the rebound!
76 mins: Brad Spencer brings down Kyziridis and is shown a yellow card. It looks like he got the ball pretty cleanly,. that’s a harsh decision – particularly as it’s his 12th of the season, and means he’ll miss the first two games of next season.
75 mins: Falkirk bring Henry Cartwright on for Yeats.
73 mins: Hearts haven’t really purred in this half, but then they don’t really need to. If they don’t concede in their next 115 minutes of football, give or take, they’ll be champions.
71 mins: Braga pushes Donaldson, who flails his arms on his way down and catches Braga in the face. Braga is therefore more hurt than the bloke he fouled, and Falkirk have a free-kick.
68 mins: Chance for Falkirk! They toss the ball into the box, MacIver nods it down,. Broggio runs on to it but shoots over the bar!
68 mins: Hearts take off Devlin, and bring on Jordi Altena.
67 mins: And from the corner Spittal’s volley is heading towards goal, but we’ll never know if Hogarth would have saved it because Shankland gets in the way. deflects it wide.
66 mins: Hearts pushing for a third. A free-kick leads, eventually, to a deflected shot, and a corner.
62 mins: An excellent challenge from Kingsley stops a likely Falkirk goal … well. it would have been likely had the flag not, again, gone up.
61 mins: A bit of a lull at Tynecastle. as the likelihood that this race is going to the weekend settles in.
What a hit! The ball is laid back to Nygren, maybe five yards outside the penalty area,. he takes a touch and then leathers a left-footed shot past a leaden-footed Ward and into the roof of the net!
54 mins: Save! Shankland turns a cross from the right towards goal, and Hogarth does really well to keep it out. The flag then goes up, so it wouldn’t have counted, but it’s still an excellent save.
52 mins: A booking for Calvin Miller, who trips Kyziridis with apparent deliberation.
49 mins: Hearts hit the bar! Kyziridis with the effort,. it’s not entirely clear if he’s attempting to stand the ball up to the back post, or to cleverly chip Hogarth. Whatever, he very nearly does the latter, but the ball drops onto the bar.
46 mins: Peeeeeep! Hearts get the second half started.
Three halftimely substitutions at Hearts: Falkirk bring on MacIver and Parkinson for Wilson and Tait. Stephen Kingsley replaces Harry Milne for Hearts.
It’s also half-time at Ibrox, where Rangers have completely dominated Hibernian by every statistical metric except the important one.
Celtic go in at the break with honours even,. a point would be enough to take the title to the final day. In the very unlikely event that there are no more goals tonight. Celtic would need to win by three goals on Saturday.
45 mins: That’s quietened the Tynecastle crowd. Sky are spending almost as much time showing us the scenes in the stands as on the pitch. as tension eats away at those present.
And Rangers also equalise! Thelo Aasgard with what is being described as “a great free-kick”.
They’ve had a shot on target now! It’s Daizen Maeda with it: a thunderous challenge about midway through the Motherwell half sends the ball zipping straight to the Celtic forward inside the area,. he accepts the gift and finds the far corner.
39 mins: Celtic have not only failed to score, they’ve failed to have a shot on target. Motherwell, to be fair, have only had one, but they’ve also had more of the ball, more shots, more corners.
37 mins: Ever since Hearts stopped looking like the 11-man personification of pure panic, they have been really classy. Great interplay in tight spaces, good movement, lovely to watch.
35 mins: It’s a great little move, even if there’s a bit of luck involved. Claudio Braga is at the heart of it,. when Tait slides in to tackle him he only manages in pushing the ball into the path of Devlin, whose shot deflects past Hogarth!
And they double their lead! Tears on the terraces! Full-on blubbing!
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