How the two sides of Hearts showed themselves in Celtic loss

It was deja vu once more as Hearts put in an encouraging and positive first-half performance but were made to regret their prolfigacy. Celtic had been made to look ordinary but awoke after the interval and displayed their clincial side. They took a 3-0 lead before Musa Drammeh scored his first for the club. But a late penalty allowed the visitors to add a fourth.

Hearts now head to Belgium to face Cercle Brugge on Thursday in the Conference League before hosting Aberdeen at Tynecastle Park on Sunday.

Joel Sked and Craig Cairns look back at the action from Tynecastle Park.

Heidenheim 2.0

"We, in the last couple of games, haven't done well enough at both ends of the football pitch which is why we've lost." Neil Critchley, speaking ahead of the match, gave an accurate assessment that can be rolled out once more. Hearts were once again the better team in the first half, created the better chances, and limited their opponents. But just like Heidenheim in the Conference League earlier this month they didn't capitalise on their good work only to be undone by a clinical, efficient, and, to an extent, lucky opposition. This time it was Premiership league leaders Celtic. The visitors were reduced to just two efforts in the first half, one of which was a speculative effort from distance. Meanwhile, Hearts had good opportunities, namely Blair Spittal who didn't get good contact on Lawrence Shankland's lay-off, and Shankland. The striker also had a headed chance but it was a more difficult opportunity and nodded tamely into Kasper Schmeichel's hands. 

The fans are buying into the way Hearts play

Once again, Critchley’s approach was to take the game to their opposition, regardless of who they are. The same brave approach that was deployed at Ibrox ahead of the international break was replicated here, albeit in a different shape. Hearts lined up in a 4-3-3 rather than the usual 4-2-3-1 or 4-4-2. There was a flat midfield three which funneled Celtic's play wide rather than centrally. When they crossed the ball into the box it was dealt with at ease by the defence with Kye Rowles in particular impressing. When they were more proactive in their press it brought good moments, capitalising on some indecisive and slow play from the visitors. Such instances provoked the backing of the Tynecastle faithful who took a while to thaw out. The crowd understandably lost some interest after Celtic provided a quick one-two punch after the interval. It was just another frustrating night that started with promise but petered out. Critchley will be the first to admit that for all the positives, Hearts need to reward that great backing with results – and soon. Albeit it the pressure is eased slightly with the state of the club's city rivals.

Penrice continues to excel

The biggest praise you can give James Penrice is that he has made fans forget about the loss of Alex Cochrane. He has fitted into the team seamlessly and has not only been the best signing of the summer but the best player this campaign. He continued his form against Celtic and was arguably the best player on the pitch in the first half. He is a two-way left-back and that was on show. He dovetailed brilliantly with Blair Spittal. The attacking midfielder drifted infield allowing Penrice to expose the space on the flank which he did really well, constantly running past Nicolas Kuhn and he created two of the team's chances. Defensively, he handled Kuhn, who has been the best player in the league, well. His controlled aggression and decisiveness are two very good qualities that stand him in good stead for defensive and attacking duels.

De ja vu for Lawrence Shankland

There was plenty of focus on Shankland coming into the game but it was a similar story. He started as the lone striker in a 4-3-3. His link-up play was excellent in the opening stages. But when the ball fell to him in front of goal, he was again found wanting. In the 17th minute, he connected poorly with James Penrice’s cutback, his left-foot strike looping wide of Kasper Schmeichal’s goal. Midway through the first half he was picked out by Penrice again but he could not get enough power on it. Then there were the frustrating moments when his execution was lacking and he turned away, shoulders sloped in frustration. Shankland was not as involved in the second half as Celtic took control though he did tee up Cammy Devlin with around 15 minutes to go, just before Celtic’s third, for what should have been a goal but there seemed to be confusion around whether he was offside. It was another frustrating evening in what has been an increasingly frustrating season for the previously prolific striker.

MUSA!

The big Spanish forward has not had the most straightforward start to his career in maroon. His three appearances have all come off the bench against the Old Firm while he has scored goals in bounce games. Fans have wanted to see more of him, especially considering how lacklustre the team have been in attack this campaign. Critchley revealed he had trained his way back into the picture after the loss at Rangers before the international break. He showed what he could do against Celtic, collecting the ball inside the opposing half, driving forward, and then unleashing a blistering effort into the corner. It was an effort that perhaps had a bit of frustration behind it but the hope is gets the chance to continue to do it and does.