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The dominant Edinburgh side powered eight points clear of Celtic at the summit of the Scottish top flight to bolster their early-season title credentials and worsen the struggles around Brendan Rodgers' side.

Alexandros Kyziridis' fine strike and Lawrence Shankland's penalty gave Derek McInnes' side a two-goal advantage that the title holders could not recover from.

Dane Murray - one of three youngsters in the Celtic XI - slashed into his own net in the early stages to put the home side ahead at a bouncing their home ground, and it was the youngster's infringement that led to the penalty.

Callum McGregor's classy first goal of the season had swiftly equalized the first goal, and Benjamin Nygren almost put Rodgers' team in front, opting for finesse over power and allowing the Hearts keeper to make a crucial stop.

But Derek McInnes' irrepressible Hearts regained dominance to hand Celtic to back-to-back losses for the first time since 2023.

It also gives the Edinburgh side a significant lead at the top of the table.

The previous occasion they were so far clear was in 2005-06 under George Burley, when they ultimately finished second - a rare instance that a team has not secured the title after building such an advantage in the past 27 years.

McInnes, whose former team were runners-up to the champions on four occasions, has been at pains to play down championship discussions, as the club seek their first top-flight crown since the 1960s.

Rodgers has seen it all before at Celtic - both perfect and shaky beginnings to a season. He's never ended as runner-up.

But on the weekend's performance, this Hearts team showed they need to be taken seriously.

Match Analysis: Hearts Take Advantage of Depleted Celtic

The Edinburgh side started with the confidence of a side undefeated in the league this season - the popular attacker poked a cross in for the striker to fire off target.

The Glasgow team didn't aid their cause with some unusual sloppiness in possession and they buckled under their initial test.

Claudio Braga's header was touched on to a post by Kasper Schmeichel and the follow-up from Shankland was turned into the net by the hapless defender, in for the injured Cameron Carter-Vickers.

The away side found their rhythm and started stringing passes together. From one such move, the midfielder released Tierney to set up the captain, who rolled in.

Apart from the opportunity for Nygren, Celtic found it hard to generate chances for lone frontman Jonny Kenny or his replacement Shin Yamada amid the absence of injured forwards their key strikers.

The home team rediscovered their energy and versatility in attacking from across the final third. Kyziridis, a standout performer of the club's scouting network, struck low past Schmeichel from the edge of the box.

Immediately after, the defender fouled the midfielder in the inside right channel and the penalty taker scored. And it could've been an even more handsome win, had substitute Ageu not been stopped by the shot-stopper.

Celtic's second half was somewhat summed up in a couple of moments involving big-money recruit Engles.

The midfielder's wayward free-kick delivery was in sharp opposition to his European display in the Europa League win over Sturm Graz and the national team player was then yellow-carded for a cynical foul.

What They Said

The Hearts manager: "The effort from the squad is evident, the togetherness. That's not always enough to win games consistently.

"Our strength lies in, is good technical ability. You're seeing that from a lot of players who have been here previously. Recent additions are eager to show that.

"We're in a positive moment at the minute, but it's just one win. It's crucial for us to maintain this form. We've got loads to do, loads to do. Following the initial fixtures is typically a benchmark of where you are."

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers: "It's a really poor goal from our perspective. We failed to push up when the ball went back as a line so when they pass the ball, they ought to be caught offside but weren't. We have got to do better with the attempt.

"Plenty of matches to play for. It's still so early. It's just nine matches. Clearly, being eight points behind is not what we would want. The comfort is there's numerous fixtures to play.

"Our attention must turn on the here and now and look to find more consistency and better performance in our play."

What's Next for These Teams?

The Glasgow club are returning to their stadium on Wednesday against promoted side Falkirk (19:45 GMT). At the same time in the Scottish Premiership, the Edinburgh outfit are at their opponents' ground.

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