Hearts’ return to Celtic Park already had plenty of edge before a ball was kicked.

This time, Hearts used the side entrance at Celtic Park, with the side gate visible in the reflection on the team bus as players arrived before kick-off.

All the upcoming Celtic fixtures are on our fixtures page.

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— Heart of Midlothian FC (@JamTarts) October 18, 2026

It was a minor detail, but one that did not go unnoticed.

Last season, Hearts’ arrival down The Celtic Way became part of the build-up to a dramatic final day, when Celtic beat them 3-1 to seal the title.

Callum Osmand scored that day, and he was back in the story again on Sunday.

The young forward was handed his first Celtic start by Martin O’Neill and struck twice in a stunning 7-1 win.

If Hearts were hoping for a quieter arrival and a different outcome, they got neither.

Celtic were ruthless from the start.

Kieran Tierney opened the scoring before Benjamin Nygren made it two. Osmand then scored twice before half-time, while Jamie McCart’s own goal added to a nightmare first 45 minutes for the visitors.

Laurent Mendy did pull one back, but it was never more than a brief interruption.

Camilo Durán added Celtic’s sixth after the break, before Nygren scored again late on to complete the rout.

The result moved Celtic four points clear of Rangers at the top of the Premiership and eight ahead of Hearts.

That is the real damage from the afternoon.

The side entrance will get people talking because of the history around this fixture, but what happened on the pitch was far louder.

By full-time, they had been picked apart by a Celtic side that looked determined to answer every question thrown at them after Benfica.