Nancy’s Celtic Stunned as Hearts Leave Parkhead With Statement Win
Wilfried Nancy’s first match in charge of Celtic ended in frustration as Hearts walked into Parkhead and walked out with a 2-1 win that pushes them three points clear at the top of the Scottish Premiership. The new Celtic manager admitted his side “lacked belief” on a night when his tactical tweaks backfired and the champions looked anything but settled.
Hearts struck in both halves through Claudio Braga and Oisin McEntee, and although Kieran Tierney pulled one back deep into stoppage time, the damage was long done. For a debut built on intrigue and high expectations, Nancy instead saw his team undone by familiar defensive uncertainty and an attack still struggling to adapt.
Celtic entered the night trying to recover the momentum lost during Brendan Rodgers’ turbulent final weeks and the stopgap spell under Martin O’Neill that briefly closed the gap at the top. Nancy’s arrival midweek was supposed to signal clarity and control. Instead, Hearts repeated the feat they managed on 26 October, when their previous win over Celtic ended Rodgers’ tenure. This result, however, carries heavier implications, widening the title race gap at the most delicate point of Celtic’s season.
Nancy hinted during his introduction that he planned to add “nuances” to Celtic’s play, but what unfolded was a full structural shift. Tierney was deployed on the right of a back three, while Yang Hyun-jun and Sebastian Tounekti were asked to work as wide midfielders with deep defensive responsibilities. The attacking edge they both usually bring was blunted, and Celtic’s wing play never fully materialized.
The new midfield shape was even more eye-catching. Nancy built a four-man box: Callum McGregor and Arne Engels at the base, with Reo Hatate and Benjamin Nygren ahead of them. But with McGregor operating unusually wide on the right, Celtic often missed his stabilizing presence in front of the defense. Control of possession looked impressive on paper, but penetration was scarce.
The only real threat in the opening period came from Daizen Maeda. Tierney clipped one ball over the top that the Japanese forward scuffed into Alexander Schwolow’s gloves, and later McGregor repeated the trick only for Maeda to drag the chance wide. They were half-openings rather than genuine alarms, and Hearts’ confidence grew with every Celtic misfire.
Then came the moment that froze Parkhead. With three minutes left in the first half, Braga darted into space as Alexandros Kyziridis’ header dropped into the box. Celtic players paused, waiting for an offside flag. Assistant referee Ross Macleod kept it down. Braga didn’t hesitate. He muscled beyond McGregor and drove the ball into the corner. Replays confirmed Engels had played him onside from a wide position, turning Celtic’s protest into a costly lapse.
The second half brought urgency but little imagination from the hosts. Engels fired over and McGregor forced a sharp save, yet Hearts grew increasingly dangerous in transition. Lawrence Shankland carved out chances for Tomas Magnusson and later tested Kasper Schmeichel himself, warning Celtic that another goal was coming.
It arrived in the 64th minute. Milne whipped a deep, driven corner into the six-yard box and McEntee rose unmarked, powering a header past Schmeichel. Nygren lost him in traffic and the Celtic defense looked static once again.
From there, belief drained out of Celtic. Substitute Luke McCowan twice found openings but never truly threatened Schwolow. Even Hatate’s fierce volley off the crossbar in the 87th minute felt more like a reminder of what the team used to be than a sign of a comeback. By then, thousands were already streaming out into the Glasgow night.
They missed Tierney’s late goal, hammered in after McCowan’s cross ricocheted kindly into his path. But it mattered only for the scoreline, not the story. Celtic never truly looked like salvaging a point.
Nancy now faces an unforgiving schedule: a Europa League clash with Roma at Parkhead followed by next weekend’s Premier Sports Cup final against St. Mirren. This wasn’t the debut he dreamed of, but the bigger question hangs over what comes next. Can Celtic adapt quickly enough to his ideas, or will early turbulence reshape the entire trajectory of their season?