2009-09-20: Celtic 2-1 Heart of Midlothian, SPL

Match Pictures | Matches: 2009 – 2010 | 2009-2010 Pictures

Trivia

  • Celtic go clear top for first time this season. 2pts in front, Rangers drew v Kilmarnock day before.
  • Robson on bench for first time in a long long time.
  • Samaras out injured, so Killen started with Skippy up front.

Review

Sometimes you just got to take the three points no matter the performance. There were few positives from this game, but when you come from one nil down and win at the death (a header by Loovens) you should more over-joyed than relieved. Celtic were down early to a goal by Hearts and we did little to give the support confidence that we would make up for it in the first half. A shot off the bar by Maloney was the only real one and we were hopeless in much of our defensive work lucky not to go two nil down (Caldwell clearing a chance off the line).

Second half was better and we came out fighting. Lots more goal mouth action from us (and even Hearts had chances) but we were dominant and we were deserving of the good work that got us the goal from Killen. A late injury time corner got us a goal from Loovens and the relief was immeasureable. We were now top of the league solely and we were happy. Lots still to work on.

Teams

Celtic

  • 01Boruc
  • 02Hinkel
  • 05Caldwell
  • 11Fox; yellow card
  • 22Loovens
  • 06N'Guemo
  • 08Brown; yellow card
  • 46McGeady
  • 07McDonald
  • 13Maloney (McGinn 69)
  • 33Killen

Substitutes

  • 24Zaluska,
  • 04McManus,
  • 52Caddis,
  • 14McGinn,
  • 17Crosas,
  • 19Robson,
  • 36Carey

Goals

  • Killen 56
  • Loovens 90+3

Hearts

  • 01Balogh
  • 03Wallace
  • 05Jose Goncalves
  • 13Obua
  • 21Ismael Bouzid
  • 26Zaliukas (Novikovas 37)
  • 06Palazuelos; yellow card
  • 07Suso Santana
  • 11Driver (Black 83); yellow card
  • 23Stewart
  • 46Thomson

Substitutes

  • 30MacDonald,
  • 02Kucharski,
  • 20Thomson,
  • 08Black,
  • 37Stewart,
  • 14Nade,
  • 18Novikovas

Goals

  • Suso Santana 5

Ref:McDonald
Att:58024

Articles

Pictures

KStreet

MOTM

20th Sep 09, Celtic 2-1 Hearts, Aiden McGeady

Stats

Possession

  • Celtic 70%
  • Hearts 30%

Shots on target

  • Celtic 15
  • Hearts 4

Shots off target

  • Celtic 10
  • Hearts 4

Corners

  • Celtic 12
  • Hearts 2

Fouls

  • Celtic 8
  • Hearts 17

Articles

Loovens goal relieves pressure on Mowbray: Celtic 2 Hearts 1 KIllen 56, Loovens 90 Santana 5

21 September 2009

Provided by: The Guardian

A rousing second half and a smattering of good fortune saved Tony Mowbray from his first crisis as Celtic's manager.
Mowbray had heard his players jeered off at the interval against Heart of Midlothian and Celtic's task in the second half would have been even greater had Artur Boruc not saved brilliantly from Andrew Driver. Hearts were a goal ahead by that point and an eight-day spell in which Celtic had dropped two points at home to Dundee United and lost to a distinctly mediocre Hapoel Tel-Aviv side in the Europa League was clearly proving too much for the fans.
It was also proving a problem for Boruc and his team-mate Gary Caldwell, who had a heated verbal spat. Salvation, amid controversy, was at hand. Chris Killen scored the equalising goal before Glenn Loovens sealed victory three minutes into injury time. The celebrations in the stands said all that needed to be known about how the three points were treasured.
"Expectancy is high at this club," said Mowbray. "Fans do not want to hear me saying how well we have played after losing a game 1-0. Hopefully they went home happy. I thought we played exceptionally well when we had the ball."
Hearts appeared to have a genuine grievance over the corner which led to that winning goal, the full-back Lee Wallace letting the ball run out of play in the belief the Celtic substitute Niall McGinn had taken the last touch. The mere fact that there were four minutes of stoppage time added was curious after a second half in which neither physio came on to the field and no player was spoken to for time-wasting.
The Hearts manager, Csaba Laszlo, had been a relieved man before the late drama. Wallace and McGinn had tangled in an incident which could easily have led to a Celtic penalty. On the other hand, Shaun Maloney appeared to foul Suso Santana before supplying the cross from which Killen headed home.
"The amount of added time is my biggest question," said Laszlo. "You must ask the referee about this. Lee Wallace felt 100% that it was not a corner and Suso was of the opinion that he was fouled."
While this was a welcome win for Celtic, who are two points clear of Rangers at the top of the league, Mowbray's troubles are a evident. A more potent team than Hearts would have punished Celtic's defensive chaos while the ongoing struggles of Scott Brown are apparent.
The Scotland midfielder may be an influential part of Celtic's team but he is short of fitness. Mowbray would have little cover if Brown had sustained treatment on his ankle, yet there will come a time when the manager must decide that the player is doing neither himself nor his club any favours by ploughing on.
For Hearts' goal, after five minutes, Santana cavorted unchallenged through the Celtic midfield before firing a shot below Boruc from 25 yards. Celtic, who had been utterly abject during that opening half, displayed renewed vigour after the break, prompted by Aiden McGeady. Hearts survived two scrambles in front of goal before Killen scored his first goal of the season and Loovens headed beyond Janos Balogh.
The defender Glenn Loovens scored an injury-time header to beat Hearts
© Copyright 2009. The Guardian. All rights reserved.
The Guardian

Celtic manager Tony Mowbray:
"I thought we were very dominant in the first half.
"As a coach, you've always got to look past the result and look at the performance.
"Regardless of whether we lost one-nil or won two-one, I think the performance of the team was very good.
"We played a lot of good football, got into some fantastic areas, but the final third let us down at stages.
"We didn't ask enough questions, but to play to get there was outstanding."
Hearts manager Csaba Laszlo:
"You must ask what Suso and Andrew Driver what they were thinking allowing Maloney to pick up the ball for the first goal.
"Then the referee somehow found four minutes of stoppage time and, for the second goal, we had the possibility to keep the ball instead of giving away the corner.
"Lee Wallace says it was not a corner, but if we play the ball up front the referee has no choice but to blow the whistle to end the game and we have a point.
"I am not angry with my players, just disappointed. At these moments, we have to be more clever."

  • Final Result

  • Full Time
  • 90:00+4:36 The referee blows his whistle to end the game.
  • 90:00+2:46 The assist for the goal came from Aiden McGeady.
  • 90:00+2:46 GOAL – Glenn Loovens:Celtic 2 – 1 Hearts Glenn Loovens finds the net with a headed goal from close range. Celtic 2-1 Hearts.
  • 90:00+2:15 Corner taken right-footed by Daniel Fox, Janos Balogh makes a save.
  • 89:22 Booking Daniel Fox goes into the book for unsporting behaviour.
  • 89:11 Free kick awarded for a foul by Daniel Fox on Arvydas Novikovas. Janos Balogh takes the free kick.
  • 88:24 The official flags Suso Santana offside. Free kick taken by Artur Boruc.
  • 87:40 Booking Ian Black goes into the referee's book.
  • 86:50 Free kick awarded for an unfair challenge on Scott Brown by Ian Black. Free kick taken by Gary Caldwell.
  • 85:38 Daniel Fox challenges Craig Thomson unfairly and gives away a free kick. Janos Balogh takes the free kick.
  • 84:08 Daniel Fox takes the inswinging corner, save by Janos Balogh.
  • 83:35 The official flags David Obua offside. Free kick taken by Glenn Loovens.
  • 82:32 Substitution Ian Black comes on in place of Andrew Driver.
  • 82:32 Foul by Gary Caldwell on David Obua, free kick awarded. Craig Thomson restarts play with the free kick.
  • 82:19 Christopher Killen takes a shot. Blocked by Jose Goncalves.
  • 81:40 Andreas Hinkel takes a shot.
  • 81:09 David Obua produces a left-footed shot from deep inside the penalty area which goes wide of the right-hand post.
  • 79:40 Scott McDonald takes a shot. Janos Balogh makes a save.
  • 76:31 Niall McGinn fouled by Craig Thomson, the ref awards a free kick. Free kick taken by Daniel Fox.
  • 72:53 Scott McDonald concedes a free kick for a foul on Jose Goncalves. Janos Balogh takes the indirect free kick.
  • 70:54 Daniel Fox decides to take the corner short.
  • 70:43 Scott McDonald takes a shot. Craig Thomson manages to make a clearance.
  • 70:33 Scott McDonald has an effort at goal from outside the box hitting the post.
  • 68:14 Substitution (Celtic) makes a substitution, with Niall McGinn coming on for Shaun Maloney.
  • 66:06 Aiden McGeady has an effort at goal from just outside the box which goes wide of the left-hand upright.
  • 64:53 Gary Caldwell fouled by Arvydas Novikovas, the ref awards a free kick. Gary Caldwell takes the free kick.
  • 62:30 Landry N'Guemo produces a right-footed shot from long range which goes wide right of the goal.
  • 61:58 Inswinging corner taken left-footed by Daniel Fox played to the near post, clearance by Ruben Palazuelos.
  • 59:25 Aiden McGeady has an effort at goal from 30 yards.
  • 58:46 Close range shot by Lee Wallace goes wide of the left-hand post.
  • 57:37 Booking Booking for Scott Brown for unsporting behaviour.
  • 57:27 Scott Brown challenges Arvydas Novikovas unfairly and gives away a free kick. Free kick taken by Craig Thomson.
  • 56:35 Unfair challenge on David Obua by Andreas Hinkel results in a free kick. Craig Thomson restarts play with the free kick.
  • 55:04 Assist by Shaun Maloney.
  • 55:04 GOAL – Christopher Killen:Celtic 1 – 1 Hearts Christopher Killen scores a headed goal from close range. Celtic 1-1 Hearts.
  • 54:36 Christopher Killen takes a shot. Save by Janos Balogh.
  • 53:59 Arvydas Novikovas is caught offside. Free kick taken by Artur Boruc.
  • 51:19 Inswinging corner taken right-footed by Daniel Fox, Headed effort from inside the area by Christopher Killen misses to the left of the goal.
  • 50:59 Booking The referee cautions Ruben Palazuelos for unsporting behaviour.
  • 50:32 Ruben Palazuelos challenges Aiden McGeady unfairly and gives away a free kick. Andreas Hinkel takes the direct free kick.
  • 49:52 The offside flag is raised against Scott McDonald. Ismael Bouzid restarts play with the free kick.
  • 49:01 Shaun Maloney decides to take a short corner, Close range header by Glenn Loovens goes over the crossbar.
  • 47:45 Shaun Maloney takes a shot. Clearance made by Jose Goncalves.
  • 45:01 The referee blows his whistle to start the second half.
  • Half Time
  • 45:00+2:23 The ref blows to signal half-time.
  • 45:00+1:25 Free kick awarded for an unfair challenge on Aiden McGeady by Ruben Palazuelos. Scott Brown takes the direct free kick.
  • 45:00+0:18 Glenn Loovens fouled by David Obua, the ref awards a free kick. Artur Boruc restarts play with the free kick.
  • 44:48 Ruben Palazuelos has a shot on goal from outside the area which misses right.
  • 42:39 Arvydas Novikovas gives away a free kick for an unfair challenge on Gary Caldwell. Glenn Loovens takes the free kick.
  • 41:32 Michael Stewart challenges Christopher Killen unfairly and gives away a free kick. Shaun Maloney takes the free kick.
  • 41:09 Andrew Driver takes a shot. Gary Caldwell makes a clearance.
  • 39:43 Corner taken by Michael Stewart from the right by-line to the near post, Header by Jose Goncalves from deep inside the penalty area misses to the right of the target.
  • 39:04 Outswinging corner taken right-footed by Michael Stewart from the right by-line to the near post, Jose Goncalves takes a shot. Save made by Artur Boruc.
  • 38:00 Aiden McGeady crosses the ball, Landry N'Guemo takes a shot. Save made by Janos Balogh.
  • 36:54 Substitution Marius Zaliukas leaves the field to be replaced by Arvydas Novikovas.
  • 36:42 Glenn Loovens takes a shot. Save by Janos Balogh.
  • 36:16 Shaun Maloney takes a inswinging corner to the near post, clearance made by David Obua.
  • 35:45 Inswinging corner taken left-footed by Daniel Fox from the right by-line, Janos Balogh makes a save.
  • 35:18 Shaun Maloney sends in a cross, save by Janos Balogh.
  • 33:57 Foul by David Obua on Daniel Fox, free kick awarded. Direct free kick taken by Glenn Loovens.
  • 33:24 Free kick awarded for a foul by Landry N'Guemo on Suso Santana. Indirect free kick taken by Janos Balogh.
  • 28:41 Scott Brown takes a long range shot clearing the bar.
  • 28:16 Andreas Hinkel fouled by Suso Santana, the ref awards a free kick. Daniel Fox takes the direct free kick.
  • 25:17 Free kick awarded for an unfair challenge on Shaun Maloney by Craig Thomson. Direct effort from the free kick comes in from Shaun Maloney,
  • 21:55 Unfair challenge on Christopher Killen by Ruben Palazuelos results in a free kick. Gary Caldwell restarts play with the free kick.
  • 21:03 Artur Boruc fouled by Andrew Driver, the ref awards a free kick. Artur Boruc takes the indirect free kick.
  • 20:07 Aiden McGeady takes a shot. Save made by Janos Balogh.
  • 19:49 Corner taken by Shaun Maloney played to the near post, David Obua makes a clearance.
  • 19:33 Aiden McGeady produces a cross, Christopher Killen takes a shot. Save by Janos Balogh.
  • 18:54 Daniel Fox takes the inswinging corner, clearance by Marius Zaliukas.
  • 18:40 The ball is delivered by Andreas Hinkel, Scott McDonald takes a shot. Blocked by Jose Goncalves.
  • 17:50 Effort from 30 yards by Aiden McGeady. Janos Balogh makes a save.
  • 16:24 Aiden McGeady produces a right-footed shot from just inside the penalty box and strikes the post.
  • 15:38 Inswinging corner taken by Daniel Fox from the right by-line played to the near post, Janos Balogh makes a save.
  • 13:22 Aiden McGeady takes a shot. Jose Goncalves gets a block in.
  • 11:32 Inswinging corner taken right-footed by Shaun Maloney from the left by-line, save made by Janos Balogh.
  • 11:14 Suso Santana takes a shot. Save made by Artur Boruc.
  • 10:47 Shaun Maloney takes a shot. Save made by Janos Balogh.
  • 10:10 Lee Wallace gives away a free kick for an unfair challenge on Aiden McGeady. Daniel Fox takes the free kick.
  • 8:42 Unfair challenge on Scott Brown by Lee Wallace results in a free kick. Free kick taken by Gary Caldwell.
  • 8:26 Daniel Fox delivers the ball, Janos Balogh makes a save.
  • 7:50 Ismael Bouzid gives away a free kick for an unfair challenge on Scott Brown. Free kick taken by Gary Caldwell.
  • 4:32 GOAL – Suso Santana:Celtic 0 – 1 Hearts Goal scored by Suso Santana from outside the area to the bottom left corner of the goal. Celtic 0-1 Hearts.
  • 2:53 Aiden McGeady fouled by Andrew Driver, the ref awards a free kick. Gary Caldwell takes the direct free kick.
  • 1:39 Foul by Christopher Killen on Jose Goncalves, free kick awarded. Direct free kick taken by Janos Balogh.
  • 0:00 The game begins.

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