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The return to the 2019-20 season meant a return to trophy winning for Celtic. However, not without the kind of wobble that has caused so much trouble for Neil Lennon during the new campaign. Having led 2-0 and 3-2 against Heart, penalty kicks were required for Celtic to seal what is a fourth clean sweep of national honors in as many seasons.
Hearts, demoted to Scotland’s second division after the coronavirus, was in pole position during the shooting. That Celtic’s 22-year-old goalkeeper Conor Hazard saved Stephen Kingsley and Craig Wighton proved vital. Kristoffer Ajer scored the winning penalty. The scale of Celtic jubilation barely masked her relief.
Hearts hadn’t been able to put a glove on Celtic during the first half. Ryan Christie’s impressive shot from 22 yards gave Lennon’s men the lead, before Odsonne Edouard took a penalty past former Celtic goalkeeper Craig Gordon. Christophe Berra had conceded the penalty by blocking a Shane Duffy header with one arm. Hearts’ main threat element came from Steven Naismith, its captain, who was lucky enough to escape penalty for facing Scott Brown. It took a good save from Gordon by Edouard to prevent Celtic from taking the lead three times at halftime.
After releasing the parking brake during the interval, Hearts revived. Liam Boyce headed home with Andy Halliday’s cross to at least end thoughts of a procession. The Edinburgh team went one step further, reestablishing parity when goalline technology correctly judged that Kingsley’s header had crossed the line.
Hearts replacement Josh Ginnelly should have won the cup in the opening seconds of injury time, but he was dazzled instead. Leigh Griffiths seemed to make him pay for it after reacting faster to a saved header from Brown in a corner to put him up 3-2 up.
Robbie Neilson’s side got off the canvas again, Ginnelly scored from close range with nine minutes of overtime left after Kingsley got in their way. If the experience favored Gordon in the shooting, Hazard had other ideas.
