For one glorious afternoon at Paradise, Celtic remembered exactly who they are. Seven goals. Seven different moments of menace. Hearts arrived with confidence and belief that they could challenge for the title once again this season and left having been given the most emphatic reminder that the throne in Scottish football still belongs to the champions as Celtic’s 7-1 demolition moved Martin O’Neill’s side four points clear at the top of the Premiership, with Kieran Tierney, Benjamin Nygren, Callum Osmand and Camilo Durán all on the scoresheet.
This was not merely a win. It was a declaration.
Lets not pretend the past few weeks have been anything but abysmal. Celtic were beaten twice by Rangers in the league and in the cup, then went to Lisbon and were outclassed 4-1 by Benfica, leaving them pointless after two Europa League league-phase games and 34th in a 36-team table.
Those results hurt. They should hurt. Celtic are not a club that accepts being second-best to Rangers, and they are certainly not a club that should be rolled over so easily in Europe - even though it seems to be the norm in recent years. The Benfica defeat was particularly galling - 3-0 down by half-time, passive for long spells, and far too easily detached from the aggressive, front-foot football that defines this club at its best.
But football has a habit of offering answers as well as questions. And on Sunday, Celtic answered loudly.
From the seventh minute, when Tierney headed in from a Mika Baur corner, Celtic played with pace, purpose and belief. Nygren added a second within three minutes. Osmand struck twice in two minutes. By the break it was 5-1, and by full-time Hearts had been well and truly put in their place as Celtic ran out 7-1 winners.
This was fast, free-flowing, fearless Celtic football - quick combinations, relentless pressure, wide areas stretched, bodies arriving in the box, and a refusal to let Hearts breathe. O’Neill said afterwards that the attacking play was “terrific” and that his players carried confidence through the full 90 minutes.
That is the template. Not caution. Not containment. Not keeping possession just for the sake of it. Not hoping to survive big nights. Celtic are at their most dangerous when they impose themselves, take the game to opponents and make them deal with our quality rather than us reacting to theirs.
Martin O’Neill and Shaun Maloney must treat this performance as more than a welcome bounce after a bruising few weeks. It must become the standard.
Domestically, Celtic have the squad depth and attacking talent to overwhelm all opponents when they play on the front foot. Nygren, Osmand and Durán all scored against Hearts, while Baur’s creativity and Tierney’s authority gave the side an energy that was impossible to resist.
In Europe, the lesson is even more important. Benfica exposed what happens when Celtic surrender initiative - a 4-1 defeat, three first-half goals conceded, and an evening that felt like a lesson rather than a contest. If Celtic try to sit in and survive against quality European sides, they will be punished again. If they play with the bravery and tempo shown against Hearts, they can at least make themselves a threat.
We cannot revert to the timid, reactive approach that saw us beaten by Rangers and humbled in Lisbon. The 7-1 win proved that when Celtic trust their football, play to our strengths, rather than trying to stop opponents playing to theirs, we remain capable of devastating opponents.
Despite the result, I am no fool, there will still be many more ups and downs this season. O’Neill himself was right to resist calling this a definitive statement, noting that Hearts remain strong challengers and that four points at this stage is absolutely nothing. Celtic remain four points ahead of Rangers and eight clear of Hearts, but the season is long and the margins for error are unforgiving.
Yet Sunday mattered because of what it revealed beneath the result. The class is still there. The hunger is still there. The ability to punish a rival, silence a narrative and remind everyone at Parkhead why Celtic set the standard is still there.
Form is temporary. Class is permanent. And for 90 minutes against Hearts, Celtic’s class did not simply return, it stamped its authority all over the pitch, leaving every pretender to the throne with plenty to think about.