Celtic won't give in

Scottish Premier League: Cometh the hour, cometh the man, and in Celtic's case it is Alan Thompson who has materialised as the driving force behind their relentless attempt to retain the Premier League title.

While Chris Sutton and John Hartson have struggled with injuries recently, and Henrik Larsson, currently being linked with a move to Bastia in a year if his former team-mate Lubo Moravcik gets the manager's job there, has gone marginally off the boil by his own high standards, the Celtic manager, Martin O'Neill, needed someone to step forward and take responsibility.

Thompson has done that in some style. Three penalties in the Parkhead side's last four games have offered his team hope and, although that can change at the drop of a hat, the midfield man is revelling in his new status.

"Chris and John have been out at times lately and Henrik missed a couple of penalties, so I simply stood up and took the job," said the midfielder. "I enjoy it - as long as they're going in.

"I felt good about this one against Hearts and, although there has been some controversy over it, if you push someone in the back, wherever you are on the pitch, it's a foul and, if it's in the area, it's a penalty."

Hearts would view that as slightly simplistic given Craig Levein's attack on referee Mike McCurry, who awarded the spot-kick after 29 minutes following a fairly innocuous Steven Pressley challenge on Sutton. The Hearts manager felt the striker had gone down too easily.

"Of course the referee was influenced by the crowd," said Levein. "It's human nature to be swayed by the noise of 60,000 fans. It's always the same at Parkhead and Ibrox. If we got the same kind of decision when we played at home, I would have no complaints."

Whatever the rights or wrongs, these were a crucial three points for Celtic. "We would have taken 1-0 beforehand," O'Neill said. "I knew it would be tight and the last few minutes without the cushion of a bigger lead were a bit nervy."

O'Neill paid tribute to Neil Lennon for an excellent performance just a couple of days after he was attacked in Glasgow, but it is Thompson who has emerged as the Hoops' key man in the final stages of the season.

Guardian Service

CELTIC: Broto, Mjallby, Balde, Valgaeren, Agathe, Lennon, Lambert, Petrov (McNamara 90), Thompson (Smith 71), Larsson, Sutton. Subs Not Used: Marshall, Maloney, Crainey. Booked: Petrov. Goals: Thompson 29 pen.

HEARTS: Moilanen, Maybury, Pressley, McKenna (Simmons 62), Neilson, Boyack, Stamp (Janczyk 45), Severin, Valois, MacFarlane, Weir (Kirk 71). Subs Not Used: McKenzie, Mahe. Booked: Pressley, Maybury.

Referee: M McCurry.