Celtic clinch fifth straight Scottish Premiership title in dramatic comeback

Celtic turned a tense title decider into another familiar coronation, coming from 1-0 down to beat Heart of Midlothian 3-1 at Celtic Park and secure the Scottish Premiership by two points. Daizen Maeda equalized in the 87th minute, Callum Osmand struck in stoppage time, and a sell-out crowd of about 60,000 erupted as Celtic claimed a fifth consecutive league crown.

Hearts arrived with the clearest route to history. A draw would have been enough to win their first Scottish league title since 1960, and they spent about 226 days in first place after leading much of the season. Instead, the defeat left them two points adrift and extended the long grip of Celtic and Rangers on the championship. Hearts were chasing a break from that pattern as the first club outside the Old Firm to win the league since Aberdeen in 1985.

For Celtic, the comeback carried the weight of both survival and supremacy. The victory delivered a record 56th top-flight title, moving them past Rangers, and marked their 14th championship in 15 seasons. It was also another reminder of how quickly pressure can swing at the top of Scottish football: Hearts were within minutes of closing out a season they had controlled for long stretches, only for Celtic to find two late goals and seize the trophy at the last moment.

Callum McGregor lifted the trophy at Celtic Park after the final whistle, capping a night that mixed relief, celebration and chaos as pitch invasions followed the decisive goal. Martin O’Neill, back in charge this season, collected his fourth league title with Celtic, 22 years after his previous one, adding another layer to a title run that was equal parts old and new. In the end, the final day did not just decide a champion. It underlined the same structural truth that has shaped the Premiership for decades: Hearts came close, but Celtic and Rangers still set the ceiling.