Scottish leaders Celtic hit seven to leave Hearts broken

Celtic's Kieran Tierney celebrates after scoring the opening goal against Hearts in the Scottish Premiership match at Parkhead. (Celtic FC pic) GLASGOW: Celtic crushed title rivals Hearts 7-1 as the Scottish Premiership leaders moved four points clear at the top with a statement victory on Sunday.

Martin O'Neill's side scored five times in a scintillating first half display at Parkhead.

Kieran Tierney and Benjamin Nygren struck in the opening 10 minutes before Callum Osmand bagged a brace as Celtic punished Hearts' poor defending.

Laurent Mendy pulled one back for Hearts but Jamie McCart's own goal was followed by second half strikes by Camilo Duran and Nygren.

After second-placed Rangers were held to a 2-2 draw by Dundee on Saturday, Celtic seized control of the title race with their eighth win from nine league games.

Third-placed Hearts are eight points adrift of Celtic following a painful return to the scene of one of the most bitter experiences in the club's history.

Hearts failed miserably in their bid for a small measure of revenge over Celtic in the first meeting between the clubs since the Hoops beat the Edinburgh team to the title with a 3-1 win over them on the final day of last season.

That loss denied Hearts a first title since 1960 and extended the duopoly of Celtic and Rangers as Scotland's only two champions in the last 41 years.

Handing Hearts only their second defeat in 14 games in all competitions was a welcome boost for Celtic after the east end of Glasgow was engulfed by crisis talk in recent weeks.

Thursday's 4-1 Europa League defeat by Benfica condemned Celtic to a fourth loss in their last five matches, while O'Neill reportedly considered quitting only a couple of weeks ago.

A section of Celtic's fan-base are furious with the club's hierarchy over their perceived failure to spend enough to establish the team as Champions League regulars.

Yet Celtic took just six minutes to ease the pre-match tension as Liam Scales flicked on Mika Baur's corner and Tierney pounced to head home from close-range.

O'Neill hired Ross Grant from Hearts to be his new set-piece coach in the summer and the move appeared to be a masterstroke after Celtic doubled their lead from another corner as Nygren's deflected volley flashed past Hearts goalkeeper Beau Reus.

Osmand intercepted Sabri Guendouz's woeful pass in the 36th minute and finished with aplomb.

Hearts were in disarray and Osmand marked his first start for Celtic with another goal in the 38th minute with a close-range header.

Mendy reduced the deficit in the 41st minute with a ferocious blast from just inside the area.

But rampant Celtic made it five in the closing seconds of a remarkable half as Stephen Kingsley diverted Baur's shot into his own net off McCart.

Duran notched the sixth in the 49th minute, slotting past Reus, and Nygren converted Kasper Hogh's pass in the 83rd minute to complete Hearts' humiliation.