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Hearts arrived in Glasgow needing a point to create history. With four minutes of regulation time remaining, Derek McInnes and his players were doing precisely that. Enter Daizen Maeda, whose goal was ensuring Hearts did not end a title wait stretching 66 years before Callum Osmand added gloss. Celtic are champions again, now for a fifth season in a row.

It was the scenes that followed Osmand’s goal, though, that should have repercussions. Celtic fans flooded on to the pitch, including to goad despondent Hearts players. There was still added time to play but the referee ended proceedings. It was a shameful way for such an extraordinary season to conclude.

Celtic timed their run perfectly. The dying moments of this season marked the first time since September Hearts had not been leading the table. McInnes will presently take no consolation whatsoever from Hearts’ epic contribution to the campaign. To Martin O’Neill, 74 years old and hired by Celtic as a short-term managerial option, the sweetest of triumphs.

The 1991 meeting of Rangers and Aberdeen marked the last time direct rivals faced off on the final day for the Scottish title. This fixture was a big deal and felt like one; not only in respect of the atmosphere at Celtic Park but in Edinburgh, where Hearts supporters queued up outside bars from the crack of dawn. Hearts were the clear underdogs here, not only in respect of club resource but with only 750 of their followers inside the stadium. A title race that has generated global attention had lacked only controversy until the last two games, when acts of officialdom enraged Hearts. McInnes insisted everybody was against Hearts in their quest to end Celtic’s dominance. O’Neill stated everyone not of a Celtic persuasion wanted Hearts to prevail. This was all so perfectly poised.

The stadium announcer asked Celtic to summon the spirit of 1986. Then, Hearts were beaten to the league on goal difference as Celtic trounced St Mirren. Although the situation 40 years on was materially different, widespread comparisons have been natural.

McInnes threw curveballs with his starting selection, with Stephen Kingsley deployed at right-back and Jordi Altena on the left of midfield. Cláudio Braga, Scotland’s player of the year, was left on the visiting bench. Braga’s replacement, Pierre Landry Kaboré, provided a physicality that said much about Hearts’ approach. It worked during the first quarter of the game, with Celtic looking the nervier side and unable to create opportunity.

Worse was to come for the hosts. With those in the stands already sounding anxious, Hearts took the lead. From an inswinging Kingsley corner, Shankland stole in at the back post while completely unmarked. The Hearts captain headed home, sending the tiny band of fans in maroon into raptures. Hearts had offered little in attack to that point but had been so perfectly drilled as to frustrate Celtic.

Hearts’ task was to reach the interval with their lead intact. They were denied that, courtesy of a stoppage-time penalty McInnes can have little complaint about. Alexandros Kyziridis slid to block Kieran Tierney’s cross but with his arm raised. As the ball struck that arm, a spot-kick was the natural outcome. Arne Engels shrugged off a considerable delay before slamming the penalty underneath Alexander Schwolow.

The equaliser did little to convince O’Neill of Celtic’s threat. He introduced Kelechi Iheanacho at the interval in place of the ineffectual Sebastian Tounekti. McInnes reacted to the switch by switching from a back four to five. Hearts’ next change was enforced and felt significant. Beni Baningime collapsed in a heap with no opponent near him. Hearts were already short of options in Baningime’s midfield position. Enter Blair Spittal, the Hearts hero in a recent Edinburgh derby win.

With 17 minutes to play, O’Neill opted to be bold. Substitutions for Celtic meant Liam Scales was the only recognised central defender in their team. Hearts had involved Braga in their attack by this point. Engels lined up a 20-yard free-kick for Celtic after Cammy Devlin had needlessly hauled him to the turf. The Belgian, however, could not keep the ball low enough. Moments later, Iheanacho struck the outside of Schwolow’s left-hand post. Schwolow’s 80th minute, one handed save from Benjamin Nygren came in a spell were Celtic were ramping up pressure.

That had mildly subsided by the time Maeda struck. The Japanese forward stole in to meet Osmand’s cross, surviving a video assistant referee check for offside. Chaos followed Osmand’s third goal.