Chris Sutton backed Hearts before kick-off and stuck with them as his prediction, even after Celtic kept themselves alive in the title race with a late Kelechi Iheanacho penalty at Fir Park on Wednesday night. The former Celtic striker said Hearts remain the team he would trust most in the moment that could decide the championship.
“Well, you know, I can’t remember. I mean, it’s an amazing game, an amazing day. How Celtic are still in the title race, I do not know,” Sutton said, reflecting on a season that has taken another sharp turn. He added that Martin O’Neill had said after the Dundee United game Celtic would need to win every game to win the title, and that he had thought then they had “no chance” of doing that.
Yet Celtic have dragged themselves back into the race through persistence rather than the kind of fluent football that usually settles a title chase. O’Neill’s return has steadied them. Sutton said the manager had “instilled this spirit and resilience a second time round as manager” and had “sort of glued everything together and got Celtic to this point.” That was on display at Fir Park, where Motherwell were the better side for long spells before Iheanacho’s late penalty rescued the points.
Hearts, though, are the team still holding the edge in the scenario Sutton described. They need only a draw, and they have already proven awkward for Celtic this season after winning an early run-in game and staying unbeaten against them. Sutton said he had backed Hearts “for a while now” and was sticking with that call, while admitting he is “mostly wrong” with his predictions. He described Derek McInnes’ side as stubborn, well organised and packed with firepower up front.
That is why the final phase at Celtic Park could become uncomfortable if the match stays tight deep into the second half. Sutton said that if Celtic are ahead and there are 20 minutes to go, the crowd will not necessarily carry them home; instead, the atmosphere could turn nervous and edgy. He said home advantage now gives Celtic something to work with, but not enough to remove the pressure that comes with knowing Hearts have already made them sweat.
For Celtic, the task is simple and brutal: win again, and keep winning. For Hearts, the opening is just as clear. A draw is enough to finish the job, and their season has already shown they know how to stay in matches long enough to make that possible.
