Celtic’s Last-Gasp Penalty Sparks Title Decider with Hearts

Celtic dragged the Scottish title race into a final‑day shootout with a penalty in the ninth minute of stoppage time to steal a 3-2 win at Motherwell and rip up the script for Hearts.

For Hearts, it must have felt like the perfect night for a while. A 3-0 win over Falkirk, top of the table, one point clear, and watching their closest rivals wobble at Fir Park. The club chasing its first championship since 1960 could almost touch the trophy.

Then Celtic refused to let it go.

They had already hauled themselves back from 1-0 down to lead 2-1, only to be pegged back late on. Liam Gordon struck in the 85th minute to make it 2-2, a goal that seemed to tilt the balance of the season. At that stage, the arithmetic turned brutal for the champions: Celtic would have needed to beat Hearts by at least three goals on the final day, relying on goals scored to wrench the title away.

The pressure rose. So did the noise. And, deep into stoppage time, the moment came.

Kelechi Iheanacho stepped up from the spot in the ninth added minute and buried his penalty, a finish that did more than win a match. It reset the entire title race. Instead of chasing a three-goal swing, Celtic now know a straightforward truth: beat Hearts at Celtic Park on Saturday and the four-time defending champion keeps its crown.

Hearts, though, still hold the narrowest of advantages. One point clear, they travel to Glasgow knowing that a draw will be enough to finish ahead of Celtic and to become the first team since Aberdeen in 1985 to break the Old Firm’s grip on the Scottish title.

One penalty has turned a procession into a showdown. Ninety minutes at Celtic Park will decide whether this season belongs to the reigning force, or to a Hearts side trying to rewrite Scottish football’s established order.