Celtic stun Hearts to win fifth straight Scottish Premiership title

Hearts were 11 minutes from ending 66 years of hurt, only for Celtic to turn eight months of pursuit into a 3-1 clincher at Celtic Park and seize a fifth straight Scottish Premiership title. What looked, for long stretches, like a title race Hearts had controlled since September became a lesson in pressure, endurance and timing, with Celtic finally overtaking the leaders on the last day.

The comeback was built long before the final whistle. Celtic had chased Hearts across 32 games, 2,880 on-field minutes and a pair of high-wire weekends, narrowing the gap with a 3-2 stoppage-time win at Motherwell on Wednesday before carrying that momentum into the decisive meeting in Glasgow. Hearts needed only a draw to win their first top-flight title since 1960 and become the first team other than Celtic or Rangers to take the league since 1985, but they could not hold the line once the match became a test of nerve rather than form.

Arne Engels gave Celtic the first-half lead from the penalty spot in stoppage time after a handball review, a moment that shifted the weight of the afternoon. Hearts still responded through Lawrence Shankland, but the game turned again when Daizen Maeda’s 87th-minute effort was confirmed only after VAR overturned an offside ruling. Callum Osmand then struck in stoppage time to finish the reversal and leave Celtic on 82 points, two clear of Hearts on 80.

The tension around the title race had already been sharpened by Celtic’s late win at Fir Park, where a controversial stoppage-time penalty set off a fierce reaction. Derek McInnes called the decision “disgusting,” while Motherwell manager Jens Berthel Askou called it “shocking.” That midweek escape mattered as much as the goals at Celtic Park, because it kept Celtic alive long enough to make the final-day showdown the first head-to-head Scottish title decider on the closing day since 1991.

Martin O’Neill, in what may have been his final league match in charge, guided Celtic to a fourth title of his own, 22 years after his previous league triumph with the club. The celebrations were marred when fans spilled onto the pitch, with reports that Hearts captain Shankland was allegedly assaulted during the invasion. The Scottish Football Association is expected to investigate. Celtic finished with their 56th league championship, moving past Rangers and underlining how this title was won over months of pressure, not just one frantic finish.