Maha Christopher
Celtic secured a dramatic 3-1 victory over Hearts on Saturday to win the Scottish Premiership title for a fifth consecutive season, crushing Hearts’ hopes of ending decades of Old Firm dominance in Scotland.
According to The Athletic, Hearts needed only to avoid defeat at Celtic Park on the final day to claim their first league title since 1960. The Edinburgh side looked set to make history after taking the lead late in the first half through captain Lawrence Shankland.
Shankland rose highest at the back post in the 43rd minute to head Stephen Kingsley’s free kick past the goalkeeper for his 20th goal of the season, sending Hearts supporters into celebration.
However, Celtic responded just before halftime after Alexandros Kyziridis handled Kieran Tierney’s cross inside the box. Arne Engels calmly converted the resulting penalty despite Hearts goalkeeper Alexander Schwolow diving the right way.
With the title hanging in the balance deep into the second half, Celtic piled on the pressure. Engels narrowly missed from a free kick, while Kelechi Iheanacho struck the post with a powerful low effort from outside the area.
The breakthrough eventually arrived in the 88th minute when Callum Osmand broke through on goal before squaring the ball to Daizen Maeda, who tapped home to make it 2-1. The goal was initially ruled out for offside but was awarded after a VAR review, sparking wild celebrations inside Celtic Park.
As Hearts pushed forward desperately for an equaliser, Celtic sealed victory in stoppage time. Osmand raced clear and calmly rolled the ball into an empty net in the 98th minute to confirm the title triumph and trigger a pitch invasion from jubilant home supporters.
Hearts had led the Premiership standings since September after taking advantage of inconsistent starts from both Celtic and Rangers. Rangers later dropped out of contention following four straight defeats in the championship group, leaving the title race to be decided between Hearts and Celtic on the final day.
Celtic’s season was far from straightforward. Brendan Rodgers resigned in October amid growing tension around the club, leading to former manager Martin O’Neill returning on an interim basis. O’Neill steadied the side before Wilfried Nancy was appointed in December, though the Frenchman lasted only 33 days after suffering six defeats in eight games.
O’Neill then returned once again and guided Celtic to a remarkable turnaround in 2026, winning all five championship group matches to finish the season on 82 points, two ahead of Hearts.
The triumph marks Celtic’s 56th Scottish league title and further cements their dominance in Scottish football.
