Celtic put on a second-half show at Tynecastle, as Brendan Rodgers’ side ran out 4-1 winners in Edinburgh versus Hearts in the Scottish Premiership. Following a spirited first-half performance from the hosts, the visitors turned the screw, scoring four goals in the second half.

Kyogo Furuhashi pounced on his rebounded shot to open the scoring, a lead that was doubled by Nicolas Kuhn five minutes later. Adam Idah then got in on the act as a substitute, scoring two goals on either side of a Musa Drammeh wonder strike from the hosts.

Results elsewhere meant that this win took Celtic three points clear of Aberdeen and 11 clear of Rangers – a commanding position to be in at this stage of the season. In light of all this, The Celtic Way’s Ryan McGinlay brings you a StatsBomb match report unlike any other…

Key stats + race chart

Though this was not necessarily the case at half-time, Celtic dominated in most areas during Saturday night’s proceedings. With 14 total shots – nine on target –, 66 per cent possession, 89 per cent pass completion and 811 passes attempted, Celtic overpowered their opponents when they had a hold of the ball.

Registering 2.91 in cumulative xG, they slightly overperformed given the chances created, though they were worthy winners on the day – as shown by the race chart – though the two sides were largely level until Kyogo’s opening goal.

Thanks to Celtic’s barrage in the second half, the visitors were given a massive 87 per cent probability of winning this match, with a draw calculated at nine per cent. Hearts were given a four per cent chance of coming out on top.

Formation + passing

Rodgers lined up his team to play in their usual 4-3-3 formation for this match, with Kasper Schmeichel continuing his run as first-choice goalkeeper. Cameron Carter-Vickers and Auston Trusty were deployed at the heart of the defence, while Greg Taylor and Alistair Johnston played on the left and right-back slots respectively. In the midfield, captain Callum McGregor was joined by Arne Engels and Reo Hatate, while Kyogo led the line, supported by Daizen Maeda and Kuhn on the left and right wings.

As mentioned before, Celtic’s passing numbers were excellent in the capital, though this did not directly translate to the passing network as a whole, judging by the graphic. Indeed, it was Maeda who registered Celtic’s best score concerning OBV (on-ball value), while Carter-Vickers finished as runner-up. Though there were a lot of thick lines – which indicate busy passing routes – Celtic’s OBV was poor on the night.

Looking at statistics, Maeda was Celtic’s top performer in OBV, clocking up a score of 0.13 for his 14 passes, with Carter-Vickers managing 0.10 for his 118 passes. Conversely, Kyogo, Hatate, Johnston, Engels, Trusty and Taylor all recorded negative totals in this metric on Saturday.

Maeda was also Celtic’s top key passer on the night, too, though he only managed two with a combined xG of 0.13, including one assist to Kuhn. Hatate, Paulo Bernardo, James Forrest and Kuhn all recorded one of their own, on what was a poor showing of on-ball creativity for the side.

Shooting 

Let’s get on to the good stuff now, shall we? At a tough venue like Tynecastle, Rodgers’ side eventually made a lot of chances in the game, with the visitors eventually taking advantage of four in total.

When observing the shot map, Celtic only attempted three shots from outside the box, with the vast majority of their chances occurring in and around the penalty spot. The closer you are to the goal, the higher the likelihood you have of scoring your chances – this was Celtic at their most clinical in the second half.

His 11th goal in 14 appearances versus Hearts, Kyogo’s opener was scrappy but effective. Following a good interception by McGregor on the edge of the box, Kyogo’s original strike was expertly saved by Craig Gordon, before the rebound was slammed home by the Japan international.

Scoring an original xG of 0.37, it rose to 0.91 following Kyogo’s contact with the shot, given Gordon’s position and the distance to goal that the striker enjoyed. They all count, with the forward impacting the game in a big way, especially given Hearts’ chances before then.

Perhaps the moment of the game – at least, from Celtic’s perspective – Kuhn’s 22nd goal contribution this campaign was emphatic. After Carter-Vickers cleared the danger on the opposite end, Maeda and his fellow winger were on the prowl, making up a two-man counter-attack on the break. Maeda would then supply the ball to Kuhn, who proceeded to unleash an unstoppable near-post strike that raced past Gordon and into the Gorgie net.

This shot had an original xG of 0.06, which underlines how difficult a chance this was to pull off. It rose to 0.20 in PSxG, though this was still a relatively low-scoring chance, even with the technique and power displayed. Scottish football’s best player at the moment with another moment for the ever-growing highlight reel.

Though he scored a 90th-minute penalty, Idah’s third goal was more important on the night, given that Hearts scored after to make it 3-1. This was a well-worked move, in which the three subs of Forrest, Bernardo and the aforementioned striker – as well as Hatate - all linked up to fully take the game away from Hearts. Bernardo’s flick to Idah before his pass back to the striker was the highlight, though Idah did well to get the ball past Gordon despite the Scotland international getting a touch on the strike.

Because of that touch, Idah’s PSxG lowered from 0.53 to 0.45, though it was still a favourable strike for the forward to convert from. Those two goals on Saturday night will do him the world of good, you would reckon.

Kyogo was Celtic’s busiest attacker on the night with four shots, while Idah had three. Bernardo and Hatate managed two, while late sub Yang Hyun-jun had one.

Defending

As you would expect given Celtic’s domination on the ball, the home side pressed better on the night, at a rate of 224-145 in Neil Critchley’s favour. Despite this, Celtic very nearly achieved more regains than the hosts, running them close at a rate of 34-35. 

Hatate led the way for Celtic’s press, managing 20, while Maeda and Trusty had 18 and 16 respectively. Maeda, Trusty and Kuhn had five counterpressures at Tynecastle, putting in the hard yards to ensure victory for their side.

In terms of defensive stats, Taylor and Trusty were the two standouts concerning combined tackles and interceptions with five each, while Yang and Maeda had three on the wing respectively.

Trusty dominated in the air and on the ground, with five clearances and four aerial wins, in what was another standout game for the American at the back. Despite his first-half struggles, Taylor had five combined clearances and aerial wins, showing his keenness to dig in, even when not at his best.

Final thoughts

At a ground where Celtic have struggled previously – they lost 2-0 last time out – Saturday’s win was a big one in terms of belief and confidence. That, coupled with the fact that both Aberdeen and Rangers dropped points earlier on that day, and you see how successful a weekend it was for the current champions. 

With Celtic playing first next Saturday versus Ross County at home, Celtic could go six and 14 points clear of their rivals before they even kick a ball – and we’re still only in November. Talk about laying down an early-season marker domestically.

To put it simply, the club are in a very good place – that very much is clear.