Hoops! . . . they did it again

Not used: Hedman, Sylla, Valgaeren, Fernandez, Lambert.

Referee: H Dallas.

Attendance: 59,562.

Marshall Henchoz Balde Varga McNamara Lennon Petrov Thompson McGeady Hartson Bellamy Gordon Neilson Pressley Webster Wallace Hamil MacFarlane Kizys McAllister Burchill Miller Subs: Elliot for Burchill 61, Stewart for Kizys 72, Simmons for McAllister 77.

Not used: Moilanen, Wyness, Berra, Cesnauskis.

Booked: Pressley 9, Neilson 11, MacFarlane 22.

Miller 8, Burchill 19 HEARTS' victory was never liable to have the repercussions of their last win at Parkhead - a 3-2 triumph in 2000 which accelerated John Barnes' dismissal as Celtic manager - but they were back stirring it up in Glasgow yesterday.

Celtic had a long time to contemplate the implications of a fourth SPL defeat of the season after Lee Miller and Mark Burchill had scored the game's only goals by the 19th minute, but they were powerless to prevent it.

Nothing went to script. At half-time Celtic's plc chairman Brian Quinn strolled into the centre circle to receive a commemorative plate from a supporters' club based in Villarreal, the Spanish town which was seduced by a friendly invasion in the run to the 2003 Uefa Cup final. The presentation ought to have been routine, but Parkhead took it as an opportunity to make a point. Quinn was booed when his name was announced and instead of saying a few words, as had been planned, he handed back the microphone which had been given to him as the jeering continued.

It used to be Fergus McCann who got it in the neck, but now Quinn is the man supporters identify as representing the supposed evils of the plc board. With the directors under pressure to show they are determined to keep Craig Bellamy, the episode revealed much about the fans' current mood.

That had been darkened by the fact Celtic were already 2-0 down and destined for a defeat which handed the championship initiative back to Rangers. Hearts return to Glasgow next Sunday to face Celtic in the Tennent's Scottish Cup semi-final at Hampden and the prospect need not alarm them.

"Celtic will be raging about today's result and will come twice as hard against us, " said Miller, but he could hardly wipe the grin from his face.

Negotiations are continuing with Bristol City about converting Miller's loan to a permanent deal, but with every goal in Scotland - this was his eighth - the price is rising.

What was most refreshing about Hearts' victory was their ability to capitalise on the extraordinary sloppiness of Celtic's first half. A depressing feature of SPL football is the regularity with which the Old Firm are allowed to get away with casual errors and carelessness, a luxury which is removed from the Glasgow clubs when similar mistakes are punished in the Champions League.

Hearts were able to make a game ofit here by showing the sort of clinical finishing which is virtually unknown among domestic visitors other than Rangers.

There seemed no reason for Celtic to be especially fearful when Stephane Henchoz fouled Joe Hamil to concede a freekick in the eighth minute.

Hearts' Lithuanian midfielder Marius Kizys began what was to be an impressive performance with a precise free-kick into the heart of the penalty area. The Celtic defence's inability to prevent Andy Webster meeting the ball with a firm header was forgivable, but not their failure to react when David Marshall's close-range block rebounded for Miller to nod an unchallenged header back over him into the net.

When Hearts doubled their lead it brought a guarantee that one way or another the match would be significant.

What was again most satisfying from Hearts' perspective was that they were able to punish Celtic for an unforced error.

Henchoz's poor headed clearance fell to Miller and his intelligent pass sent Burchill into space and invited the low shot across goal which Burchill delivered to score inside Marshall's left-hand post.

Hearts' lead bore little relation to the general flow of the game. Celtic's pressing was relentless but there was a general lack of menace and purpose about their attacking which, coupled with the inexplicable hesitancy and mediocre distribution of their defenders, quickly promised to deliver a rare home defeat.

Craig Gordon saved comfortably from a low John Hartson shot and then parried a fierce drive from the edge of the area from Stilian Petrov, but neither opportunities would have beaten any established goalkeeper.

Gordon's biggest scare of the first half came when Bellamy's lay-off played in Ross Wallace only for the winger to pull his shot across goal and narrowly past the post. Wallace had not started the match but his involvement revealed how it was going. Henchoz was the least impressive of Celtic's defenders and O'Neill replaced him after 35 minutes when he reshaped the side from threeat-the-back to 4-4-2.

What little verve they had began to ebb from Celtic's play after Gordon leapt to touch a close-range Hartson shot over the crossbar. Although the second half continued the overall impression of a match played almost entirely in Hearts' half, it was their periodic counter-attacks which came closest to creating a goal. Kizys slipped Stan Varga and arrowed towards goal before firing wide, and Webster and Miller both came close to nudging the score up to what would have been a remarkable 3-0.

A late Bellamy miss - sending a rising shot over the crossbar from Bobo Balde's cutback - amounted to the last flicker of a dying flame.

FAST FOOTBALL

Fair result? Strangely enough, yes. Hearts had the composure to capitalise on Celtic's casual opening play and never looked in real danger of surrendering the 2-0 lead they had established by the 19th minute. Celtic's endless possession did not equate to any genuine control.

Entertainment value? Any home defeat for the Old Firm is intriguing, although after Hearts' goals the match unfolded gently, without any real drama. They had to soak up considerable Celtic pressure but defended deep, which prevented Craig Bellamy's pace from becoming a factor.

Talking point: Celtic fans made their views clear on the lack of transfer market investment by subjecting plc chairman Brian Quinn to sustained booing when he received a supporters' club presentation at half-time.

Man of the match:

Andy Webster was dropped by Scotland in Milan last week and responded with a commanding performance. He had to be good to overshadow Lee Miller.

Martin O'Neill: "We deserved to get beaten today because we didn't create enough chances to win the game.

It's a setback, no doubt about it."

John Robertson: "If you are going to win, especially in Glasgow, you have to have the right attitude. We had the composure when we had the ball to come and attack Celtic."