Celtic are no longer the unstoppable force that Scottish football has grown used to. Saturday night at Parkhead exposed a team that is rattled, disjointed and suddenly very human. Across the city, Hearts watched the cracks widen and felt something they have not felt in decades: genuine belief that the impossible might actually happen this season.
Derek McInnes’ side are now within touching distance of the top. Two wins in the next six days — first the Edinburgh derby against Hibs, then Rangers at Tynecastle — and Hearts will either lead the league or sit one point behind with all the momentum. This is not fantasy. This is the real, tantalising opportunity that seven months of brilliant football have earned them.
Celtic’s Crown is Slipping Fast
Brendan Rodgers’ side dropped points again on Saturday in a performance that lacked energy, ideas and leadership. Key players look leggy, the press is disjointed, and the usual swagger has vanished. Celtic have taken just eight points from the last eighteen available. That is not the form of champions. It is the form of a team waiting to be overtaken.
Supporters left Parkhead shaking their heads. Some booed. Many more simply walked out in silence. The fear is real: this Celtic side could become the first in over a decade to surrender the title without a proper fight.
Make no mistake — Celtic are there for the taking.
Hearts Have Built Something Special
Nobody gave Hearts a prayer in August. Pundits tipped them for top six at best. Derek McInnes quietly went about building a team that presses like demons, defends with discipline and punishes mistakes ruthlessly.
Lawrence Shankland is scoring for fun again. Kenneth Vargas is terrifying full-backs every week. The midfield trio of Beni Baningime, Calem Nieuwenhof and Malachi Boateng bully opponents and win second balls like their lives depend on it. Even the January signings — Yan Dhanda and the returning Blair Spittal — have slotted in seamlessly.
The numbers do not lie:
- Hearts have won 12 of their last 15 league games
- They have the best defensive record in the league since October
- Only Celtic have scored more goals than the Jambos in 2026
This is not a flash in the pan. This is a team that has grown stronger every month.
The Week That Could Define a Generation
Wednesday night: Hibs at Easter Road. A derby that is always ferocious, now loaded with title implications.
Sunday afternoon: Rangers at Tynecastle. A stadium that will be absolutely rocking and a Rangers side that still carries scars from their last visit.
Win both and Hearts will wake up on Monday morning looking down on everyone else or breathing right down Celtic’s neck. The psychological blow to the rest of the league would be enormous.
McInnes knows it. The players know it. Every Hearts fan knows it.
This is the biggest week Tynecastle has seen since the 1960s. Maybe ever.
A Nation Dares to Dream Again
Scottish football has been called predictable for too long. Celtic and Rangers have shared every title since 2011. The gap between the Old Firm and everyone else has felt unbridgeable.
Hearts are six days away from tearing that script to pieces.
If they do it, they will not just win a title. They will change the story of Scottish football for decades. Young fans across the country will grow up believing that giants can be toppled. Neutral supporters from Aberdeen to Dumfries will roar them on, desperate for someone — anyone — to end the duopoly.
This is bigger than three points. This is bigger than one season.
This is the chance to write a new chapter that people will talk about in 50 years’ time.
Derek McInnes and his players do not need extra motivation. They know exactly what is at stake.
Seize the moment, Hearts.
Make history.
Make it unforgettable.
What do you think — can Hearts really do this? Drop your thoughts below and let’s get the conversation going.
