Celtic settle for point after profligacy costs them against resilient Hearts
Wasteful Celtic passed up a series of chances against Hearts in a goalless Ladbrokes Premiership draw at Parkhead.
The result took the champions to within four points of Aberdeen, who lost 2-1 at Inverness, but Ronny Deila's side should have capitalised on the league leaders' defeat to a greater extent.
Indeed, it could have been worse for the champions. Had defender Efe Ambrose not sacrificed himself by being sent off for denying Sam Nicholson a clear goalscoring opportunity in the third of three added minutes, the visitors might have grabbed an undeserved winner.
Deila made six changes to the side which beat Raith Rovers 2-0 in the third round of the League Cup on Wednesday night with Mikael Lustig, Emilio Izaguirre, Dedryck Boyata, Nir Bitton, James Forrest and Leigh Griffiths restored.
Hearts head coach Robbie Neilson, whose side got back on track after three league defeats with a 3-2 win over Kilmarnock at Rugby Park in midweek, brought back Miguel Pallardo, Juwon Oshaniwa, Jamie Walker, and Juanma.
Had Celtic gone into the interval three or four goals clear there could have been no complaints from the Tynecastle side.
After firing a free-kick just wide of the target, Kris Commons guided a shot all too softly into the hands of Hearts goalkeeper Neil Alexander, who then made a decent save from Griffiths' 30-yard free-kick.
A fine move from Celtic in the 17th minute involving Commons, Griffiths and Forrest ended with the Scotland wide-man rattling the inside of the post with a drive from the edge of the box.
Then midfielder Tom Rogic drove wide from 12 yards with only Alexander to beat as the profligacy continued.
Griffiths headed an Izaguirre cross past the post from 10 yards then missed a sitter, heading into the arms of Alexander after a wayward header from Tynecastle defender Blazej Augustyn.
In the 32nd minute the busy former Rangers keeper thwarted Griffiths again before saving Bitton's long-range effort as the Hoops fans wondered if it was going to be one of those days.
For Hearts, a first-half of defending was punctuated by efforts from Nicholson and striker Juanma, who both fired over the bar.
Hearts fans thought defender Igor Rossi had scored in the 53rd minute when he got his head on to a Jamie Walker cross but the ball had hit the side netting.
Skipper Scott Brown fired wide from distance as Celtic reasserted themselves although the chances dried up.
Nadir Cifti replaced Rogic in the 75th minute to join Griffiths in attack as a sense of desperation began to engulf the home support.
Bitton headed an Izaguirre cross over the bar to groans before recently signed Belgian midfielder Arnaud Djoum came on for Walker to make his Hearts debut.
The final minutes saw Celtic continue to pepper the Jambos box with crosses and there were further efforts from Griffiths and Bitton.
The former had the ball in the net in injury time but the assistant's flag had already gone up.
Ambrose's last-gasp foul on Nicholson earned him a red from referee Kevin Clancy and gave Hearts the chance from the free-kick but Callum Paterson's shot struck the Celtic wall and signalled the end of a frustrating afternoon for the home side.
Source: PA
