Hearts v Celtic
Greg Taylor forced in the winner in an epic contest

The VAR played a key role in Celtic's victory over a weakened Hearts at a heaving Tynecastle stadium.

Two goals from Lawrence Shankland, one from the spot after Scottish football's first on-field review, had Hearts ahead.

Giorgos Giakoumakis and Daizen Maeda turned the game back in Celtic's favour, and Greg Taylor slid in to grab the winner.

It was relief for Celtic, who were pushed all the way, as they moved five points clear of Rangers.

"It was a cracking game with a lot of things going on." It would have been easy to quit ourselves and think it wasn't our day, but they found a way.

Despite missing a few defenders, Hearts went toe-to-toe with the league leaders and produced their best performance of the season.

They were unfortunate to fall behind when Tony Ralston's cross was diverted into the path of Forrest, who headed his fourth goal in two matches.

Before the break, there was a level between the two teams. After being sent to the monitor to review the tackle, the referee overturned his initial decision and awarded a penalty.

After Josh Ginnelly got the better of Bernabei to flash a brilliant ball across the six-yard box, substitute Shankland drilled the ball into the net for the second time.

The decision not to award a spot kick for Michael Smith's handball in the box was a source of amusement for the Celtic boss.

Giakoumakis escaped the clutches of several Hearts players to head in from Mooy's corner and then Maeda reacted quickly when the Australian's shot was parried out by Gordon.

The drama wasn't done yet. When Jenz clattered him in attempting to clear the ball, he was given a penalty by Walsh, who gave it right away.

The rebound from Joe Hart's penalty was turned into a goal by Ginnelly.

After a VAR check found that Ginnelly and two Celtic players had invaded, Shankland was forced to re-take, and this time he beat Hart to level the score.

Both sides battled it out for the final quarter of a great contest.

The key moment was found by Celtic. Mooy's pass found Liel Abada, whose cross fell for Taylor to score the winning goal.

Celtic were able to see out victory as they showed great perseverance for the second time in a fortnight, even though there was barely time to breathe in the final 20 minutes.

"Well done, pat on the back, you did well, but I don't get that," said the man. We did not get any points. These games are important to us. Celtic was rattled by us. After scoring three goals, we should have won the game.

Player of the match - Cammy Devlin

Aaron Mooy and Cammy Devlin
Devlin was unlucky to be on the losing side. A colossal performance in midfield.

Brave Hearts fall short as Taylor shines - analysis

It's hard to think of a better way to spend 90 minutes. The fight and quality in the middle of the field typified the greatness of Hearts.

Without their first-choice defence, they were always going to be vulnerable, and that's why they have two clean sheets this season. Another blow is the fact that Stephen Humphrys is injured.

Celtic came back despite the drama. Taylor came off the bench to take the Bernabei's place.

He demanded the ball and scored the winning goal. He has been great this year. There is another excellent left-backs in Scotland.

What they said

I was proud of the players, but disappointed with the result. They did not need to work hard for their goals. Four goals were scored by us, but we defended brilliantly.

Some positives and some negatives with VAR. There is work to be done to make it better. The first penalty is a stonewaller and we play for three to four minutes. Everyone knows it's a penalty.

You would think that the VAR would get to the big decisions earlier. I didn't think we had a clear handball. You don't have to think about it.

A lot of people are standing around. I don't think it's a good idea. There is a good movie playing at the cinema tomorrow if that is the type of drama you want. You can watch it while sitting down. I enjoy watching football.

What's next?

Next Sunday, Livingston will visit Celtic in the league. The Conference League game between RFS and Hearts will be played on Sunday at 20:10.

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