Naismith believes Yang red card was correct call

Hearts manager Steven Naismith believes his team were well worth their 2-0 win over Celtic and backed the pivotal decision to send off visiting winger Yang Hjun-jun for a challenge on Alex Cochrane.

The match spun on a Varled review of Yang’s tackle on Cochrane, who was caught in the face as the South Korean tried to win the ball.

Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers was not happy with the decision but Naismith felt referee Don Robertson and the VAR John Beaton got that one right, while admitting that penalty awards for both teams were “soft”.

Hearts went on to win 2-0 after Jorge Grant converted his spot-kick just before half time and Lawrence Shankland added a second goal on 57 minutes.hearts go al keeperz and er Clark also impressed, saving a penalty from Adam Idah on 11 minutes.

“It was an entertaining game and one th a ti think we de served to win,” said Naismith. “There were a lot of action points. I think we started the game well, which got the crowd involved. It was a good atmosphere. Throughout the game at the right times, we played, controlled the game and asked celtic some questions.

“I think both penalties are soft. Alex puts his foot on the ground and the Celtic forward is the one that kicks him. Ours is this handball rule that nobody is happy with. And I think the red card is a red card. that moment with the red card, when you’re playing against the Old Firm, a bit of nervousness can set in and then you play a bit more direct because you feel you need to score. But I thought we controlled the game really, really well, which makes it a satisfying afternoon.

“We saved our penalty and scored the one that we got. Both teams can feel that they were soft but overall we deserve our win comfortably. it was two anditcouldhavebeenmore.it's another example of where we have matured and are growing. We are making the right decisions.”