Poor Simunovic, Average Sinclair – The best and the worst rated Celtic stars vs Hearts

Full Time: Hearts 1-0 Celtic

Kyle Lafferty’s only goal of the game sunk Celtic to give Hearts three priceless Scottish Premiership points on Friday.

Lafferty, the Northern Ireland international, smashed home a spectacular volley just before the hour mark to shock the defending champions.

Having rested key men from the starting line-up ahead of Tuesday’s Champions League tie against AEK Athens in Greece, Brendan Rodgers’ move backfired as they slipped to defeat at Hearts.

After Lafferty’s goal, Rodgers threw the kitchen sink as he sent Odsonne Edouard, James Forrest and Tom Rogic into the fray to try and save it, but the game was lost.

Celtic Player Ratings

Craig Gordon – 5/10

Gordon made a good stop to deny Steven Naismith in the first half but never had a chance to save Lafferty’s sensational volley.

Mikael Lustig – 5/10

Lustig was defensively decent but offered very little going forward. Tested Hearts goalkeeper Zdenek Zlamal with a lofted shot after the break.

Jozo Simunovic – 2/10

Awful afternoon! Simunovic’s atrocious mistake opened the door for Lafferty to seal the deal. He gave the ball away under no pressure and the hosts punished them.

Jack Hendry – 5/10

Unlike his partner, Hendry was composed in possession but couldn’t do much for his team.

Kieran Tierney – 5/10

Was excellent going forward and was also defensively solid, barring a couple of moments.

Jonny Hayes – 4/10

Naismith appeared to kick Hayes as the Hoops player lay on the ground following a tussle. Didn’t add much verve to Celtic’s attack and was taken off after the break.

Scott Brown – 5/10

Industrious as always but just couldn’t control the tempo of the game. Came close to scoring in the first half but his flicked effort from the corner went over the bar.

Kouassi Eboue – 4/10

The young Ivorian tried his best to get involved in the game but failed. Another chance to impress the manager went begging for Eboue.

Scott Sinclair – 6/10

Celtic’s liveliest of attackers, Sinclair caused problems for Hearts defenders with his pace and unpredictability but his efforts lacked the end product.

Callum McGregor – 5/10

McGregor was not at his sublime best as he rarely threatened the Hearts backline. Had an effort saved by the hosts’ goalkeeper.

Leigh Griffiths – 5/10

Griffiths had plenty of opportunities but he failed to produce the finishing touch. His effort was cleared off the line, and was denied by a fantastic save from the Hearts goalkeeper.

Substitutes

Odsonne Edouard – 4/10

Replaced Griffiths to add impetus to the attack but couldn’t.

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James Forrest – 4/10

He came in for Hayes but could do very little to change the scenario for Celtic.

Tom Rogic – 4/10

Rogic replaced Kouassi and did bring some intensity to Celtic’s play in the final third. The Australian fired a drive from the edge of the box that went inches wide.