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The dominant Edinburgh side powered eight points clear of Celtic at the summit of the Scottish Premiership to bolster their early championship claims and worsen the struggles around the Celtic team.

Alexandros Kyziridis' fine strike and a spot-kick from Shankland gave Derek McInnes' side a two-goal advantage that the title holders could not recover from.

Dane Murray - one of three youngsters in the Celtic starting lineup - slashed into his own net early on to put the home side ahead at a energetic Tynecastle, and it was the 22-year-old's foul that led to the spot-kick.

A stylish finish from McGregor of the season had swiftly equalized Hearts' opener, and the Swedish attacker almost put Celtic in front, choosing placement over power and allowing the Hearts keeper to make a crucial stop.

But the unstoppable Hearts side regained dominance to hand Celtic to back-to-back losses for the first time since last year.

It also gives the Hearts a significant lead at the top of the table.

The previous occasion they were this far ahead was in 2005-06 under George Burley, when they ended as runners-up - one of just four occasions that a team has failed to win the title having held such a lead in the past 27 years.

McInnes, whose Aberdeen side were runners-up to the champions on four occasions, has been working hard to play down title talk, as Hearts seek their maiden league title since 1960.

Rodgers has seen it all before at the club - both flawless and stuttering starts to a season. He's never ended as runner-up.

But on Sunday's evidence, this Edinburgh outfit showed they need to be taken seriously.

Analysis: The hosts Capitalize of Depleted The Visitors

Hearts started with the confidence of a side unbeaten in the league this season - fans' favourite Kyziridis delivered a ball for the striker to stab wide.

The Glasgow team didn't aid their cause with some unusual sloppiness in possession and they buckled under their initial test.

Claudio Braga's header was tipped onto the woodwork by Kasper Schmeichel and the follow-up from Shankland was turned into the net by the unfortunate Murray, in for the injured Cameron Carter-Vickers.

Celtic found their rhythm and started stringing passes together. From a flowing attack, the midfielder released the full-back to set up the captain, who rolled in.

Apart from the opportunity for Nygren, the visitors found it hard to generate chances for striker Kenny or his replacement Shin Yamada amid the absence of stricken attackers their key strikers.

The home team regained their intensity and adaptability in creating chances in the opposition half. Kyziridis, a standout performer of the club's relationship with shareholder Tony Bloom's Jamestown Analytics, struck low past Schmeichel from the edge of the box.

Immediately after, Murray fouled the midfielder in the right side of the box and Shankland scored. And it could've been an more comprehensive victory, had replacement Ageu not been denied by Schmeichel.

The visitors' performance after the break was partially encapsulated in two incidents involving big-money recruit Engles.

The set-piece from Engles delivery was in sharp opposition to his midweek exploits in the Europa League win over their Austrian opponents and the Belgium international was then yellow-carded for a professional foul.

What They Said

The Hearts manager: "The effort from the squad is evident, the togetherness. That's not sufficient on its own to win games consistently.

"What we have got, is good technical ability. You're seeing that from multiple individuals who have been here before. Some of the new signings are eager to show that.

"We're in a positive moment at the minute, but it's just one win. It's important for us to keep winning. We've got loads to do, plenty to improve. After the first two rounds is typically a benchmark of your standing."

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers: "It's a really poor goal from our perspective. We didn't move when the play was recycled as a defensive unit so when they pass the ball, they ought to be caught offside but didn't. We have got to improve with the shot.

"There's still so many points to play for. It's only the beginning. It's just nine matches. Obviously, being eight points behind is not ideal. The positive is there's numerous fixtures to play.

"Our attention must turn on the here and now and look to find more consistency and more quality in our play."

Upcoming Fixtures for These Teams?

The Glasgow club are returning to their stadium on Wednesday against promoted side Falkirk (evening kick-off). At the identical hour in the top division, Hearts are at St Mirren.

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