Celtic show their eight-month progression despite slow start as Hearts rue their own inefficiencies

It doesn't matter these days if Celtic are not quite at their sparkling best on the domestic front. Unlike the last time they were at Tynecastle, when Brendan Rodgers' men were not at it and lost 2-0 back in March, the champions prevailed 4-1 under the lights in Gorgie to move top of the Premiership outright for the first time this season.

Celtic are a different beast from eight months ago, when that defeat - their last in Scottish football - seriously questioned their title credentials. Rodgers picked up a ban for his comments on the officials that afternoon, taking VAR decisions to task. There was none of that here, his team recovering from a sticky first half where Hearts were the better side to chalk up win number 11 of the season.

Just 12 matches in, Celtic are 11 points clear of Rangers, who are lagging way behind in third place and drew 1-1 with Dundee United earlier in the day. Second-placed Aberdeen lost for the first time in the league this season at St Mirren and are now three points behind. One expects Celtic's gap to only widen now.

It feels churlish to be critical of this Celtic team given the scoreline - but Hearts will rue their inefficiency when in the ascendancy during a highly competitive first half. Neil Critchley's men played well during that period and created some promising openings against visitors who were potentially disjointed to begin with owing to the international break. But Hearts' predicament at the other end of the table remains real. Sitting in 11th place, they remain only a point ahead of toiling neighbours Hibs.

Nicolas Kuhn was among the scorers for Celtic at Tynecastle. | SNS Group

Hearts were up for this, despite Tynecastle not being at its crackling best. The 7.45pm kick-off time and the inclemencies wreaked by Storm Bert earlier in the day resulted in a number of empty seats inside the stadium. The slightly muted atmosphere - not helped by the paltry 550 away-fan allocation in the corner of the Roseburn Stand - did not put the hosts off.

Critchley likes his teams to press and harry their opponents and they did that from the off. Celtic were never really allowed to settle in a competitive first half. The tigerish Cammy Devlin snapped at the heels of Celtic captain Callum McGregor, ably supported by Malachi Boateng and Beni Baningime. Celtic try to choke the game with their own midfield trio but they did not get it all their own way in the first 45 minutes.

Hearts had the better openings. Just two minutes in, Lawrence Shankland cutely headed the ball into Blair Spittal's path inside the penalty box, but his effort bounced straight at Kasper Schmeichel. Celtic were sloppy in the opening exchanges, a cavalier crossfield pass from Greg Taylor to McGregor going off-piste to Hearts' left-back Penrice. His strike was too central.

Hearts were getting joy down the left, with Spittal dovetailing nicely with the once again impressive Penrice. The full-back cut the ball back to Shankland on 17 minutes but on his weaker foot, the captain sclaffed wide from an inviting position. The same duo combined on 21 minutes when Penrice clipped the ball to Shankland, whose header on the backwards stretch was fielded comfortably by Schmeichel.

Twice Celtic centre-half Cameron Carter-Vickers had to be alert to put in timely interventions as Hearts grew in confidence. At the other end, Celtic's best attacking moments were far from threatening. Daizen Maeda headed over after McGregor picked him out with a nice chipped pass, while Kyogo Furuhashi's strike from the edge of the penalty box was comfortably fielded by Craig Gordon. The Hearts back four coped admirably with Celtic's pace and movement.

Rodgers would have no doubt urged improvement during the interval. It took them just five minutes into the second half to fashion a proper opening, Nicolas Kuhn's exquisite ball over the top setting Furuhashi free, only for Gordon to spread himself and block well from the Japanese. Celtic required more of these moments.

Kyogo Furuhashi opened the scoring at Tynecastle on his 150th Celtic appearance. | SNS Group

The next one came five minutes later and they made it count - although there was an element of fortune to the opener. Daniel Oyegoke did well to intercept a slide-rule pass but his clearance battered off McGregor to set Furuhashi free close in. While Gordon did well to stop his initial effort, the rebound fell kindly for the striker and he bundled the ball home. It was a fine way to mark his 150th appearance for Celtic. 

Another five minutes later, another goal. From a Hearts corner, Celtic sprinted up the pitch. Kuhn exchanged passes with Maeda and the former thrashed the ball high beyond Gordon. Almost callously, they had killed the contest.

Substitute Adam Idah fired home on 79 minutes and bagged a penalty in stoppage time. In between Hearts' Musa Drameh belted in a corker of a strike to give the hosts a consolation. It was a mere blot on Celtic's ever impressive copybook.