It was so nearly a perfect weekend for Celtic. But then, things fell apart in the final 15 minutes of the match. Firstly, Auston Trusty was shown a red card. And then, Martin O'Neill's side could not hang on to their one-goal lead, conceding in the 87th-minute of the match, as Claudio Braga drew Hearts level.
Ultimately, the points had to be divided as the game ended in a draw. The result meant that not only did Hearts maintain their six-point lead over Celtic, but the Rangers also are now a couple of points ahead of O'Neill's side.
With not a lot of football left to play in the league this season, Celtic do not have much time to turn things around. Unfortunstely for them, Trusty's red card will make things trickier for them.
Initially, Trusty was booked by the referee for his tackle on Pierre Landry Kabore. However, VAR advised an on-field review, and the ref then decided that the defender had denied Hearts a goalscoring opportunity, and he was sent off.
Sky Sports confirm bad news for Celtic and Martin O'Neill
As reported by Sky Sports, Celtic's appeal over the red card shown to Trusty in the draw at Hearts has been dismissed, following a Scottish FA hearing. He will now miss Celtic's next league match, at home to Falkirk on Sunday.
Trusty has clearly been Celtic's best centre-back in recent times. So, his absence will come as a major blow for the club.
This is not something that Celtic needed at this point in time. Now, it is up to the manager to make the best of this situation as well, as he has had to do on numerous occasions already this season.