Players ahead of AEK crunch backfires big time

causing the Celtic backline serious issues. Ikpeazu’s running was taking Hendry and Simunovic where neither wanted to go, and the journeyman ex-Watford striker did well to set up Lafferty with a header well saved by Craig Gordon.

Up the other end, they were smothering most of what Celtic had to offer, Austrian Haring in particular an impressive force screening in front of the defence.

But they still had their chances. Sinclair’s flashed shot across goal from a tight angle, Brown meeting a Griffiths corner eight yards out and shooting over.

And a lucky escape for the Jambos seconds before the break, Griffiths coming alive in the box, dancing across from left to right before his turn and shot beat keeper Zdenek Zlamal, only to find Michael Smith clearing on the line. It came at a high cost for Hearts. Berra’s studs caught in the turf on the chase across the box and he was stretchered off clutching his hamstring.

Naismith may have a few questions to answer from the injury time action as well, cleaned out from behind by Hayes, but having a fly kick up the Irishman’s backside with his studs as he remonstrated.

As they broke for breath, it was easy to get carried away and mistake excitement for excellence. Thrilling though it was, both sides had struggled to string three passes together in the maelstrom.

Celtic got on the front foot at the restart, Griffiths forcing a stop from Zlamal after Sinclair had pounced on Laf ferty’s howler of a pass.

But it was a similar blunder from Simunovic that was Celts’ undoing. Olly Lee took the gift and fed Ikpeazu, the big man left bodies hanging off him as he ploughed down the right and the cleverest of clipped cutbacks to the edge of the box was met to perfection by Lafferty, his controlled volley flying low past Gordon.

Smith zipped a volley over, Lee forced Gordon into a stop from 25 yards. Anyone in any doubt before about the type of team Craig Levein wanted to recruit this summer needn’t look any further.

They’re physical, sure, but it’s a physicality based on energy, tempo, getting it forward into the channels and forcing the pressure.

Rodgers saw the writing on the wall and before 70 minutes were out, he’d brought on Edouard, Forrest and then Rogic – and it was the Aussie who made life hard for Jambos, f inding the little halfspaces which hadn’t been there before and almost levelling when he picked Haring’s pocket on the edge of the box only to curl wide.

But the chances were few and far between and in the end Hearts were well worth the three points.

Rodgers admitted: “It was a close game. We coped with the physicality well but you don’t expect to give the ball away in your build up play. That was our disappointment. Under no pressure we gave it away and in fairness to Lafferty it was a really, really good finish.

“We still had some time to create problems but we never really were clean enough in the final third. Congratulations to Hearts, they get their victory and we have to lick our wounds and move on.”