Celtic beat Hearts 3-1 on the final day to clinch a fifth consecutive Scottish Premiership title

Celtic F.C. secured a dramatic 3-1 victory over Heart of Midlothian F.C. on the final day of the Scottish Premiership season to clinch a fifth consecutive league title and make history with a record 56th top-flight crown, moving ahead of rivals Rangers F.C..

Heading into the decisive showdown, Martin O’Neill’s men knew anything less than victory would hand the championship to Hearts, who had spent 250 days at the summit. But late strikes from Daizen Maeda and Callum Osmand turned the tide to seal a memorable triumph and crown Celtic champions once again.

The title win marked another remarkable achievement for the Parkhead side during a turbulent campaign filled with fan unrest, managerial changes and uncertainty. Despite the chaos, Celtic underlined their dominance in Scottish football, lifting their 14th league title in the last 15 seasons.

O’Neill, 74, returned to the dugout with Celtic trailing by six points in the title race, but masterminded an impressive turnaround to finish the campaign two points ahead of the Jambos. With the Premiership trophy secured, the veteran boss is now just one match away from completing a domestic double, with a Scottish Cup final clash against former Celtic captain Neil Lennon’s Dunfermline set for May 23.

Hearts suffered injury setbacks to Beni Baningime and Pierre Landry Kabore as Celtic tightened their grip after the interval, dominating possession and creating a flurry of chances. Substitute Kelechi Iheanacho came close after striking the post, while goalkeeper Alexander Schwolow produced several key saves to frustrate Benjamin Nygren and Maeda.

The decisive moment finally arrived in the 87th minute. Maeda converted Osmand’s low delivery, although celebrations were briefly halted by an offside flag. After a VAR review, the goal stood, with replays confirming Osmand had timed his run perfectly before setting up the Japanese forward.

Pushing desperately for an equaliser, Hearts sent Schwolow forward for a late set-piece, but the gamble backfired. Osmand raced clear and calmly slotted into an empty net to spark wild celebrations, as supporters flooded onto the pitch with Celtic confirmed as champions once more.