Hearts And Celtic 2-2 Draw After Braga Late Leveller As Trusty Sees Red

Claudio Braga struck an 87th-minute equaliser as Hearts drew 2-2 with 10-man Celtic in the Scottish Premiership, preserving top spot in dramatic style. Celtic twice moved ahead at Tynecastle, but the league leaders answered both times and stayed six points clear, with Rangers now four behind after beating Dundee FC 3-0.

The contest grew increasingly tense after Auston Trusty received a red card for Celtic, following a VAR review by referee Steven McLean. Hearts pressed hard against the reduced visitors late on, with Braga, Blair Spittal and others testing Kasper Schmeichel as an emotionally charged match ended level.

The pattern of the game saw Celtic go in front early, suffer a setback, then respond again before finally being pegged back. Benjamin

Nygren opened the scoring on seven minutes with a curling free-kick, awarded after a foul by Hearts midfielder Marc Leonard, before Stuart Findlay and Braga delivered key replies.

Nygren’s opener came after Leonard brought down the Celtic attacker on the edge of the area. Nygren then bent a precise right-footed strike beyond the defensive wall and beyond Schmeichel’s opposite number, giving Martin O'Neill’s side an early lead and maintaining Nygren’s current scoring streak in the top flight.

Hearts created major chances before the interval but could not level, largely due to Schmeichel. Braga raced clear one-on-one only to be denied by the Celtic goalkeeper, who also saved from Alexandros Kyziridis after a poor backpass from Trusty left the forward with what appeared a straightforward finish.

After half-time, Hearts finally made pressure count when Findlay converted from a Leonard corner. The defender met the delivery with a firm downward header that slipped under Schmeichel and into the net. Celtic quickly responded, though, as Tomas Cvancara glanced a looping header onto the crossbar, warning the hosts.

Celtic restored their advantage when Cvancara produced clever work down the left flank. Cvancara beat the full-back and delivered a low ball across goal, allowing Yang Hyun-jun to tap in from six yards. The move underlined Celtic’s threat on transitions, even as Hearts continued to push bodies forward.

The match turned again when Trusty pulled Pierre Landry Kabore inside the box during a Hearts attack. McLean initially showed a yellow card, but upgraded it to red after checking the pitch-side monitor. Braga was then denied from close range by Schmeichel, before finally smashing in from Oisin McEntee’s knock-back.

Spittal almost completed the turnaround in the closing minutes, clipping the top of the crossbar from distance. Hearts still ended the evening with a valuable point, while Celtic lost further ground in the title chase as Rangers’ win over Dundee FC tightened the top end of the Scottish Premiership table.

A point apiece, the Jambos remain top pic.twitter.com/AwrbkU0LtWHeart of Midlothian FC (@JamTarts) January 25, 2026

Scottish Premiership stats and Hearts vs Celtic data

The data underlined why Hearts were satisfied with a draw. The hosts led Celtic for shots, shots on target and expected goals, again showing resilience from losing positions. Their production in attack, combined with the late equaliser, extended a trend of strong responses under pressure this season.

Hearts outshot Celtic 16 to nine overall and produced eight shots on target to Celtic’s three. They also generated four big chances compared with one for O'Neill’s team, while expected goals numbers favoured the hosts at 1.74 to 1.17.

That comeback meant Hearts have now collected nine points from losing positions in this Premiership campaign. Only Dundee United, with 10, have recovered more after falling behind, highlighting Hearts’ repeated ability to respond when trailing against domestic rivals.

Nygren continued a strong personal run despite Celtic’s frustration at the dropped points. The forward has now scored in three successive Premiership matches, the longest such streak of Nygren’s top-flight career, and has either scored or assisted in four straight league games, producing three goals and one assist.

As the Scottish Premiership moves deeper into the season, this 2-2 draw leaves Hearts in charge of the standings, with Celtic further back and Rangers closing in. The contest at Tynecastle showed both Celtic’s need for greater control and Hearts’ habit of rallying late, which could prove crucial in the title race.