Celtic Hit Seven Past Hearts at Celtic Park
Celtic beat Heart of Midlothian 7-1 at Celtic Park on 18 October 2026 in the Scottish Premiership. It was a ruthless display from the reigning champions in front of their own supporters. SPFL
The damage was done early. Hearts conceded twice from set-pieces inside the first 10 minutes and never recovered. A set-piece means a dead-ball situation, like a corner or free-kick. BBC Sport
Kieran Tierney struck first. He finished from a few yards out in the seventh minute to put Celtic ahead. BBC Sport live blog
Liam Scales added to the lead with a near-post header from a corner. Benjamin Nygren then made it three, after young defender Dane Murray outfought Claudio Braga to set him up. BBC Sport
Nygren scored again late on. His two goals came in the 10th and 83rd minutes. Between them, C. Osmand struck twice in two minutes, in the 36th and 38th, to turn a bad afternoon for Hearts into a rout. BBC Sport live blog
Martin O'Neill was in charge of Celtic for the match. Wouter Vrancken led Hearts. The lunchtime kick-off was shown live on Sky Sports at 12.30pm.
The strangest part was the numbers behind the scoreline. Hearts actually had more shots, 20 to Celtic's 18. They also had more of the ball, with 52% possession to Celtic's 48%. Celtic simply took their chances. Hearts did not.
Hearts arrived in Glasgow with a poor record on the road. They had won only two of their previous 11 away league games, both against Hibs.
What makes this stand out is the recent history between the clubs. Hearts beat Celtic 3-1 at Tynecastle Park in October 2025 to move eight points clear at the top. They then won 2-1 at Celtic Park in December 2025, leading 1-0 at half-time despite having only 28% possession.
For fans, this felt like payback. Celtic Park holds 60,411 and it was loud from the first corner. One goal can lift a city. Seven can shake the title race.
