Martin O’Neill fumes over ‘remarkable’ Trusty red card after fiery Hearts draw
Celtic manager Martin O’Neill cut a frustrated figure after his side were held to a dramatic draw by Hearts in a crucial Scottish Premiership clash at Tynecastle.
Knowing victory was essential to close the gap at the top of the table, Celtic looked on course for all three points after going 2-1 ahead with just 13 minutes remaining. The match was played at a frantic pace, with Hearts midfielder Benjamin Nygren opening the scoring with a superb free-kick.
The hosts levelled shortly after the break as they piled on the pressure, but Celtic regained the advantage when debutant Tomas Cvancara burst forward on a brilliant solo run, creating space for Hyunjun Yang to finish from close range.
However, the turning point arrived late in the game when defender Auston Trusty was shown a red card — a decision that infuriated O’Neill. Hearts capitalised soon after, finding an equaliser to deny Celtic a vital win.
Speaking to BBC Radio Scotland, O’Neill made his feelings clear.
“I’ve seen it back and I honestly don’t see it at all,” he said.
“Maybe I’ve been out of the game too long, but the first ball is going away from goal — it’s not a direct threat. On top of that, we’ve got cover around. I don’t understand why it took so long to decide. It’s not a red card. It’s as simple as that.”
The Celtic boss admitted the dismissal had a huge impact on the closing stages.
“It obviously changed the last 20 minutes. We played on Thursday with 10 men for an hour and showed great fight, and we showed that same spirit again today.”
What’s next for Celtic?
The draw leaves Celtic six points behind Hearts, while they also slip to two points behind Rangers in third place. With only 16 league games remaining, O’Neill knows there is little margin for error.
European action awaits next with a Europa League clash against Utrecht, but attention will quickly turn back to the league. Celtic host Falkirk on February 1 before travelling to Aberdeen three days later.
With the title race tightening, every remaining fixture now feels like a must-win for the Hoops.
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