Comfortable Celtic Scottish Cup win leaves depleted Hearts with one focus for the rest of the season

A depleted Hearts team exited the Scottish Cup as Celtic recorded a comfortable win in the quarter-final at Tynecastle Park. A 2-0 half-time scoreline became 3-0 in the end to confirm that the Glasgow club join Inverness Caledonian Thistle in the competition’s last four.

Aaron Mooy and Kyogo Furuhashi struck in the first half before a late header by Cameron Carter-Vickers finished the game off. Hearts reached three of the last four Scottish Cup finals but must now focus on their league campaign, whilst Celtic continue to pursue a treble.

Both managers made changes from the midweek league match between these clubs, Celtic five and Hearts three. The absence of captain Lawrence Shankland and midfielder Robert Snodgrass denied the hosts two experienced and influential figures for the tie of the round. Add in longer-term absentees like Craig Gordon, Liam Boyce, Craig Halkett, Beni Baningime and Peter Haring, plus the recently-injured Stephen Humphrys, and the difficulty of this task was brought sharply into focus.

Sead Haksabanovic was promoted from Celtic’s substitutes’ bench after scoring in Wednesday’s 3-1 victory. Atmosphere at kick-off left hairs standing on the back of necks around Tynecastle, but less than two minutes later it was only the travelling support celebrating.

Kye Rowles raced across to cut out Alistair Johnston’s forward pass to Jota but the Australian misjudged the ball’s trajectory. Jota scampered off down the right and crossed for Mooy to stroke a first-time finish high into Zander Clark’s net.

Celtic started at a ferocious tempo and Hearts needed time to settle. Manager Robbie Neilson was seen several times on the edge of his technical area ordering his team to get higher up the pitch rather than sitting deep.

The visiting goalkeeper Joe Hart produced a brilliant low save to stop Toby Sibbick’s swivel and shot on 22 minutes. At the opposite end, Clark made an impressive block of his own to deny Reo Hatate. Celtic also appealed in vain for a penalty for Andy Halliday’s sliding challenge on Johnston as the full-back crossed.

Johnston’s next meaningful cross created the afternoon’s second goal. A low delivery into the six-yard box was impishly flicked into the Hearts net by Kyogo’s back foot, and at 2-0 there was only one team in command.

Celtic's Joe Hart makes a crucial save to deny Hearts defender James Hill during the Scottish Cup quarter-final at Tynecastle.

Josh Ginnelly appealed for a penalty after having his shirt pulled by the Celtic substitute Yuki Kobayashi early in the second period. Referee Kevin Clancy again ignored the protest. At the opposite end, Clark saved from Jota after the Portuguese winger collected Kyogo’s ball and created space for an angled shot.

Hearts were guilty of conceding possession too often and, when they did keep the ball, options further ahead were limited. Frequently they had five or six men behind the ball when Celtic attacked. After a transition they would pick up the ball and then toil to string forward passes together with green-and-white jerseys swarming around them.

They forced themselves into Celtic’s half more as the game progressed, however the third goal ten minutes from time finished this tie completely. Substitute Matt O’Riley hung a textbook free-kick up above the six-yard line and Carter-Vickers arrived unmarked to glance the ball down and past Clark.

Hearts (3-5-1-1): Clark; Hill, Sibbick, Rowles; M Smith (Atkinson 73), Grant (Kuol 82), Kiomourtzoglou (Devlin 65), Halliday (Forrest 73), Kingsley (Cochrane 73); McKay; Ginnelly.

Celtic (4-3-3): Hart; Johnston, Carter-Vickers, Starfelt (Kobayashi 46), Taylor; Mooy (O’Riley 77), McGregor, Hatate (Iwata 82); Jota, Kyogo (Oh 77), Haksabanovic (Abada 59).

Referee: Kevin Clancy.

Attendance: 16,287.