Celtic edged three points clear at the top of the Scottish Premiership with a hard-fought 4-1 win over Hearts at Tynecastle, with goals from Kyogo Furuhashi, Nicolas Kuhn and a brace from Adam Idah.

With a blend of clinical finishing and moments of brilliance, Celtic’s class told when it mattered most.

Hearts started the game brightly, playing with energy and pressing high on the Celtic defence.

The early stages of the match saw Craig Gordon in good form, producing a number of excellent saves.

Most notably, he denied Kyogo Furuhashi in the first half, diving out to block a shot that had the crowd on edge.

But despite Hearts’ resilience, Celtic remained dangerous, and it was only a matter of time before the breakthrough arrived from the champions.

It came early in the second half, in the 58th minute.

Kyogo Furuhashi, who had been relatively quiet up until then, pounced on a loose ball after a ricochet in the Hearts box.

Craig Gordon had done well to save the initial shot, but the Japanese striker made no mistake with the rebound, poking the ball home to give Celtic the lead.

Hearts were left to rue the defensive error, with Frankie Kent guilty of keeping Kyogo onside as the ball fell to him.

Minutes later, Celtic doubled their advantage.

Nicolas Kuhn, in superb form this season, received the ball on the edge of the box and drove forward with intent.

With a burst of pace, he hammered a powerful shot into the near post, leaving Gordon with no chance.

It was a stunning finish from the winger, and Celtic’s second goal effectively sealed the match.

Celtic added to their lead with a clinical finish from Adam Idah in the 78th minute, following a composed assist from Paulo Bernardo.

Idah, showing his striker instincts, took the ball on the edge of the box and, with a calm finish, slotted it past Craig Gordon into the bottom left corner.

His decision to shoot rather than pass was the right one, an instinctive move that proved lethal, highlighting the clinical nature of the Celtic attack.

Substitute Musa Drammeh pulled one back for Hearts in the 82nd minute with an impressive strike from outside the box.

However, the Hoops would have the last laugh after a foul from Jorge Grant on James Forrest gifted Celtic a penalty, with Adam Idah stepping up to score a brace, with a sensational penalty past Craig Gordon, who, despite guessing the right way, was left with no chance due to Idah’s placement in stoppage time.

The performance from Celtic in the second half was a stark contrast to the first 45.

In the end, Celtic’s clinical edge made the difference, with Hearts unable to break down the Hoops’ defence in the closing stages.

For Celtic supporters, it’s a satisfying result.

However, there are still areas for improvement as the Hoops look to build momentum heading into the winter months, with a crucial Champions League clash against Club Brugge on Wednesday night at Celtic Park.

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