Hearts 0-2 Celtic: Champions move five points clear at top

Scottish Premiership leaders Celtic moved five points clear by extending Hearts' winless run to six games.

Ryan Christie curled in the opener, with Olivier Ntcham also netting before the break to move Celtic further ahead of Rangers, who have a game in hand.

They could have piled more misery on new Hearts boss Daniel Stendel, who has now lost his first two games in charge.

Stendel's side are 11th, above Hamilton Academical - who they face on Saturday - only on goal difference.

Lose that and the Tynecastle side will head into the Boxing Day derby with Hibernian adrift at the foot of the table at the halfway point of the campaign and under serious threat of relegation.

But for Celtic, it was a ninth consecutive Premiership victory as they took their tally of league goals for the season to 50.

After a season and more of insipid performances, these are grim times for Hearts on and off the field, a reality that hit Stendel square between the eyes on Saturday when he lost his first match in charge against St Johnstone. That was another lousy effort in a long back catalogue of lousy Hearts efforts.

This game had the look of an annihilation in the offing. Celtic can't stop winning and can't stop scoring and Hearts' much-discussed high press looked like offering meat and drink to Celtic's ruthless attackers.

It turned out to be a comfortable win for Celtic, but only after close to half an hour of solid stuff from Hearts. They opened promisingly, full of energy, full of passion, loads of hustling and harrying. In the midst of this, Scott Brown got booked for a foul on Aaron Hickey - always a popular call in this place of all places.

Hearts weren't good enough to take advantage of Celtic's early discomfort but their work-rate was high and their fans appreciated it. They looked like a team that at least knew what they were trying to do. Their fans have accused them of lacking stomach for the fight for much of the season but they couldn't level that charge at them here. They were undone by a much better team, but they battled.

The rising confidence in their ranks creaked when Celtic scored against the run of play. The visitors had done nothing in the game to that point, but the first chance they created, they converted. It was clever and clinical. When the ball was played into Odsonne Edouard, three Hearts men - Loic Damour, Craig Halkett and Christophe Berra - went to him. Bad idea.

Edouard back-heeled it and took out the three of them. James Forrest wanted to get on the end of the loose ball but it broke instead for Christie, who drove it low past Joel Pereira. What a goal machine Christie has become for the champions. The midfielder, as classy as he is consistent, has practically scored a goal in every other game this season across all competitions.

In a second blow, Hearts lost their right-back Jamie Brandon to injury. Sean Clare came on and slotted in admirably in Brandon's place.

Celtic kicked on, though. A heavy touch from Edouard cost the striker a wonderful chance to make it two. Just after, Ntcham put Forrest through a huge gap in the Hearts' defence but he pulled his shot wide when one-on-one with Pereira. That was a glaring miss, but Celtic weren't so wasteful when they carved out their next chance.

Brown started it by robbing Damour in midfield, Forrest carried it on when racing down the left. Berra stayed with him, just about, but then got done when the winger checked and went again, buying himself enough room to get his cross in. Edouard tried to connect at the back post but missed. The ball carried to Ntcham, who finished beautifully, a cushioned and emphatic strike that ensured the victory.

Hearts had a few moments in pursuit of a goal that might have made a contest of it, but Clare pushed a shot wide and Fraser Forster denied Michael Smith.

All the time there was a threat from the champions, though. Callum McGregor had a goal disallowed, correctly. Edouard probably should have done better with a header. McGregor should have scored but Pereira denied him.

In a way, both teams got what they were looking for. Celtic earned another deserved win in this long sequence of wins and put the pressure back on Rangers ahead of their game against Hibernian on Friday. For their part, Hearts showed a sign of life, some spirit, some encouraging signs amid a sea of negativity.

Former Celtic goalkeeper Pat Bonner on Sportsound

Edouard was fantastic, the only thing missing was a goal. When the ball was knocked up to him in the middle of the pitch he showed his class, holding it up. In and around the box, his awareness of others around him was great too, for example his flick for the first goal.

He's coming back from an injury and you can see they brought him off again to keep him right. He is exceptional.