Lawrence Shankland was targeted by Celtic supporters during the pitch invasion at Parkhead.
The Hearts captain had to be surrounded by stewards and his team-mates after being mocked by rival supporters after the third goal.
Shankland, who had headed Hearts in front, was mocked by supporters who had entered the pitch with some in very close proximity to the Scotland striker.
🗣️ “The players should be safe on the football pitch. There’s always people that spoil it for everyone else.”
James McFadden and Chris Sutton on the “unacceptable” scenes as fans invaded the pitch ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/qDDsY59Imv— Sky Sports Scotland (@ScotlandSky) May 16, 2026
Team-mates Ryan Fulton and Frankie Kent quickly rallied round Shankland after he was targeted with Harry Milne also supporting his captain.
Two security staff could be seen trying to prevent Celtic supporters from taunting or confronting Shanland.
Speaking on Sky Sports, pundit James McFadden said: "I understand spilling onto the pitch with the emotion, but get back off the pitch.
"This is unacceptable for me, going up to players.
"The players should be safe on the football pitch. There should be no point where safety is threatened.
Read more:
- Hearts players 'assaulted during Celtic pitch invasion'
- Celtic fans 'bullied' Shankland in pitch invasion as aftermath blasted
"There will always be people who spoil it for everybody else. You heard the majority of the fans booing the reaction of the fans who had gone onto the pitch.
"That is unacceptable for me; it should never happen.
"Lawrence Shankland is almost surrounded by his team-mates to make sure nothing happens to him; it is unacceptable.
Chris Sutton added: "I totally agree with that. There is no place for that.
"You can imagine how the Hearts players would have felt after such a long season and losing it at the end.
"The Celtic fans who got involved with the Hearts players were lucky they didn't get a thump or two."
