SPFL Premiership top-of-the-table meeting ended in a draw

Hearts head coach Derek McInnes admitted he was not happy with one member of Celtic’s coaching staff during Sunday’s 2-2 draw at Tynecastle Park. McInnes reacted to an ungentlemanly gesture from Celtic’s first-team coach Mark Fotheringham following Benjamin Nygren’s early opening goal, and then spoke about the incident at full-time.

Nygren’s free-kick put Celtic ahead before Stuart Findlay headed Hearts level minutes after half-time. Hyunjun Yang restored the visitors’ advantage and Claudio Braga later restored parity for Hearts after Parkhead defender Auston Trusty was red-carded. The point keeps the Edinburgh club six points clear of their Glasgow rivals at the top of the Premiership, with Rangers sitting second and four points off the summit.

McInnes was asked post-match about the moment in the technical area but did not name Fotheringham as the guilty party. He simply stated he was not irked at Celtic manager Martin O’Neill or his assistant Shaun Maloney. He was asked why he was in the Celtic dugout complaining. “That's one place I'll not be going,” he smirked. “So, for me, it was nothing to do with Martin or Shaun. It was just one of their inexperienced coaches who got a bit carried away. That's all I've got to say on it.”

Trusty was dismissed on 76 minutes for fouling Hearts striker Landry Kabore and denying the Burkinabe an obvious goalscoring opportunity. Referee Steven McLean initially issued a yellow card which he overturned after VAR advised him to review the incident on a touchline monitor.

“I've not seen it again,” said McInnes. “My take on it is, and I think what the fourth official said to me, is that they needed to be sure that Kabore would get a shot away. My thought was, ‘he's definitely going to get a shot away'. He broke the line. Celtic don't get red cards domestically. It was a bit of a shock when VAR turned it and made it a red. But for me it looked like a red-card offence.”

McInnes also expects Hearts to add to their squad again this week with Uganda international winger Rogers Mato. An agreement has been reached with his club, FK Vardar, and Tynecastle officials are now processing paperwork for his immigration to the UK. “Yes. I hope he finds the net quicker than he finds the UK. But he should be in this week,” smiled the manager.

The fact Hearts fought back from behind twice to claim a point demonstrated their spirit and resolve. Those commodities are valued highly by McInnes and his coaching staff. He is pleased his team are top of the league and being chased by bigger clubs in Glasgow. “I'm delighted where we are. We've been there a while now. It's more than four months. It's not a purple patch, as I said last week,” remarked McInnes. “It's something that we're comfortable with. I'm enjoying where we are.

“We're well aware there's big clubs and good teams desperate to be where we are. We've got to be ready for that challenge as we go along. I've said all along, I think we're going to have to keep improving. I believe there are wins in us. If the fans keep that connection with the team today, who knows where it can take us.”

He praised his strikers, Kabore and Braga, for their industry. “I thought the effort they both put out - you get that from Braga anyway - but particularly Kabore, having been out of the starting XI for a while. We've worked hard with him all week. We've shown good clips of him. Aln Archibald did a lot of work with him this week as well on the importance of leading that line. He's actually a good foil for Braga. He's the one that wants to stretch the game. Braga naturally comes towards the ball. I thought Braga had a really good game, as did Kabore.

“Coming from behind twice against a team of Celtic's quality, there's always a bit of pride. You want your players to keep going and show that perseverance that we did. But I do think in terms of chances created and how the game played out, I thought we had the better and more chances to win the game. Not just when Celtic went down to 10 men, but obviously more when they get down to 10 men.

“Celtic had a tough game on Thursday night [against Bologna] and I think that maybe factored into them. I thought the energy that we put into the game, the connection for everybody really in terms of effort, was there. We spoke at half-time about trying to bring a bit more quality. If we show more quality, we win the game. We've not won the game because of that. I think it was a difficult start. Every time you lose a goal, you pick the bones of it. The conceding of the free kick was disappointing, but you have to acknowledge it was a top-class finish from their point of view. It's a wee reminder of the quality that Celtic have in these moments.

“I think it rocked us, those first five or 10 minutes, because it wasn't the start we were looking for. Even prior to half-time, I turned around to Paul [Sheerin] and Alan and said: ‘This is exactly what I was hoping for.’ A lot of what was playing out was exactly what we were hoping for, but we just didn't have the goal to show for it. The belief and the confidence of the team was clear. We always feel that we're going to score here.

“We get the equaliser. The one thing I'm annoyed about is that we didn't keep it at 1-1 for longer. Their second goal comes out of nothing. But again, it highlights the quality of the player that Celtic still possess. Our distances weren't quite right. All of a sudden, the gaps became a bit too big. Before we could react to it, Yang is like a No.9 and, from their point of view, it's a good goal. But from our point of view, it just seemed a bit needless and then we've got to go again. And go again we did.

“Blair Spittal the bar at the end, you see the chances we had. That's why we're a bit disappointed. It's a bit of a disappointed dressing room that we've not won the game. It probably illustrates how far we've come that we’re feeling that way.”

Hearts winger Alexandros Kyziridis had two clear opportunities to score, with Braga also denied in the act of shooting by a fine challenge from Celtic’s Liam Scales. “Kyziridis was bright and sharp throughout but, by his standards, you expect him to hit the back of the net,” admitted McInnes. “That's sometimes the way it is. If we take those chances and show a bit more calmness, and show a bit more quality, then I think we win the game. At least we've put ourselves in a position to win it.

“We're disappointed we haven't. But a point and how the game played out, coming from behind twice against a team of Celtic's quality, regardless of their exploits on Thursday night, I still think in the cold light of day, it's not the worst point when you come from behind. We just felt there was a wee bit more out there for us. I think the belief [to win the league] has been there for a while, to be fair. I think we turned up believing we can win today. There is obviously a bit of disappointment that we haven't.

“You need a lot of things to go your way. But Celtic have, as I say, shown a couple of moments of quality to get their goals. Throughout the game, I thought we looked strong. I thought we looked confident with our work. We needed to bring a bit of calmness to it at the right times. It can’t just all be fire, there has to be a bit of ice and put your foot in the ball.”

There was additional praise for Hearts’ new loanee Marc Leonard, who made his competitive debut for the club. He delivered an assured display despite conceding the free-kick for Celtic’s first goal. “I thought Marc Leonard was terrific in that sense, because it was a difficult start for him from a debut,” said McInnes.

“I think it tells you a lot about the boy and the personality, that he kept taking it and he put his foot on the ball. He was very important to us, just to link that back lot to our front lot. I thought he was very influential on him. We are going to enjoy working with him. Throughout the team, I don't think any Hearts player out there, subs or boys starting, felt that we weren't going to win the game. That pleases me to no end.”