Scottish Premier League: Hearts 0 Celtic 4

Celtic has reinstated its four-point lead at the top of the Scottish Premier League with an emphatic 4-0 win over Hearts.

Three goals in the first half set up Celtic’s win in Edinburgh in a match that could have been a lot different if Hearts had been awarded a goal in only the second minute.

Stephen Elliott’s header firstly struck Celtic’s Joe Ledley on the hand and then bounced over the goal line, but the Hearts’ striker’s pleas for either a penalty or a goal were ignored by the referee.

To make matters worse, the visitors took the ball straight up the other end and Celtic captain Scott Brown scored.

In the 20th minute it was 2-0. A blocked shot fell at the feet of Victor Wanyama and the big Kenyan midfielder turned and slammed the ball into the top corner before anyone else could react.

Ten minutes later Celtic finished the game off. Brown stole the ball of Hearts’ skipper Marius Zaliukas and, eventually, Georgios Samaras ended up with the ball on the left-hand side.

The Greece international twisted and turned before putting a perfect cross on Ledley’s head and the midfielder scored, unmarked at the back post.

Despite some extra effort in the second half, Hearts could not avoid their fourth match without a win and Gary Hooper knocked home the fourth goal of the game.

The win puts Celtic on 62 points, four points clear at the top of the SPL, while Hearts sit fourth, six points behind third-placed Motherwell.