{"id":406,"date":"2026-05-18T19:38:47","date_gmt":"2026-05-18T16:38:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/iheanacho-sparks-celtic-to-14th-premiership-title-after-hearts-defeat\/"},"modified":"2026-05-18T19:38:47","modified_gmt":"2026-05-18T16:38:47","slug":"iheanacho-sparks-celtic-to-14th-premiership-title-after-hearts-defeat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/iheanacho-sparks-celtic-to-14th-premiership-title-after-hearts-defeat\/","title":{"rendered":"Iheanacho Sparks Celtic to 14th Premiership Title After Hearts Defeat"},"content":{"rendered":"

Celtic clinched a record-breaking 14th Scottish Premiership crown in 15 seasons and handed Hearts a painful blow in the race for their first title since 1960, completing a dramatic 3-1 victory over their rivals in Glasgow on Saturday.<\/p>\n

The Hoops lifted the trophy for the 56th time in their history, reaffirming their dominance at the top of Scottish football.<\/p>\n

Match key moments<\/h2>\n
    \n
  1. Hearts broke the deadlock in the 38th minute, with Michael Steinwender putting the visitors ahead.<\/li>\n
  2. After the interval, Iheanacho came on in place of Sebastian Tounekti.<\/li>\n
  3. Celtic restored parity late in the first half, scoring through Arne Engels from the penalty spot.<\/li>\n
  4. Daizen Maeda then struck to put Celtic in front, followed by a second goal from Callum Osmand to seal the win.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Celtic\u2019s triumph was secured under Martin O\u2019Neill, with the 3-1 scoreline ensuring their title charge ended in style by defeating the division\u2019s leading challengers.<\/p>\n

    In the final standings, Celtic finished first with 82 points, finishing two points clear of Hearts.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Celtic clinched a record-breaking 14th Scottish Premiership crown in 15 seasons and handed Hearts a painful blow in the race for their first title since 1960, completing a dramatic 3-1 victory over their rivals in Glasgow on Saturday. The Hoops lifted the trophy for the 56th time in their history, reaffirming their dominance at the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":405,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_title":"Celtic Win 14th Scottish Premiership Title vs Hearts","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"Celtic secure a record 14th Premiership title after a 3-1 win over Hearts in Glasgow, crushing their rivals\u2019 hopes and sealing glo","mma_seo_breadcrumb_text":"","mma_seo_breadcrumb_url":"","mma_seo_breadcrumb_hide_ui":"","mma_seo_breadcrumb_labels":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-406","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"\nCeltic Win 14th Scottish Premiership Title vs Hearts<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Celtic secure a record 14th Premiership title after a 3-1 win over Hearts in Glasgow, crushing their rivals\u2019 hopes and sealing glo\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/iheanacho-sparks-celtic-to-14th-premiership-title-after-hearts-defeat\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Celtic Win 14th Scottish Premiership Title vs Hearts\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Celtic secure a record 14th Premiership title after a 3-1 win over Hearts in Glasgow, crushing their rivals\u2019 hopes and sealing glo\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/iheanacho-sparks-celtic-to-14th-premiership-title-after-hearts-defeat\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Zalebs\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-05-18T16:38:47+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/iheanacho-inspires-celtic-comeback-clinch-25ff.webp\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"853\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"491\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/webp\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Zibuyile Dladla\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Zibuyile Dladla\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"1 minute\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/iheanacho-sparks-celtic-to-14th-premiership-title-after-hearts-defeat\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/iheanacho-sparks-celtic-to-14th-premiership-title-after-hearts-defeat\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Zibuyile Dladla\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/6da1a9a659a2b9fb37587bf050637d1e\"},\"headline\":\"Iheanacho Sparks Celtic to 14th Premiership Title After Hearts Defeat\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-18T16:38:47+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/iheanacho-sparks-celtic-to-14th-premiership-title-after-hearts-defeat\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":175,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/iheanacho-sparks-celtic-to-14th-premiership-title-after-hearts-defeat\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/iheanacho-inspires-celtic-comeback-clinch-25ff.webp\",\"articleSection\":[\"Sports\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/iheanacho-sparks-celtic-to-14th-premiership-title-after-hearts-defeat\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/iheanacho-sparks-celtic-to-14th-premiership-title-after-hearts-defeat\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/iheanacho-sparks-celtic-to-14th-premiership-title-after-hearts-defeat\\\/\",\"name\":\"Celtic Win 14th Scottish Premiership Title vs Hearts\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/iheanacho-sparks-celtic-to-14th-premiership-title-after-hearts-defeat\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/iheanacho-sparks-celtic-to-14th-premiership-title-after-hearts-defeat\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/iheanacho-inspires-celtic-comeback-clinch-25ff.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-18T16:38:47+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/6da1a9a659a2b9fb37587bf050637d1e\"},\"description\":\"Celtic secure a record 14th Premiership title after a 3-1 win over Hearts in Glasgow, crushing their rivals\u2019 hopes and sealing glo\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/iheanacho-sparks-celtic-to-14th-premiership-title-after-hearts-defeat\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/iheanacho-sparks-celtic-to-14th-premiership-title-after-hearts-defeat\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/iheanacho-sparks-celtic-to-14th-premiership-title-after-hearts-defeat\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/iheanacho-inspires-celtic-comeback-clinch-25ff.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/iheanacho-inspires-celtic-comeback-clinch-25ff.webp\",\"width\":853,\"height\":491},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/iheanacho-sparks-celtic-to-14th-premiership-title-after-hearts-defeat\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Iheanacho Sparks Celtic to 14th Premiership Title After Hearts Defeat\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/\",\"name\":\"Zalebs\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/6da1a9a659a2b9fb37587bf050637d1e\",\"name\":\"Zibuyile Dladla\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/1f581f0bb57ed4fd97eeb8353242d5a3c12548c2ff26373e9e5be1e00d4fad05?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/1f581f0bb57ed4fd97eeb8353242d5a3c12548c2ff26373e9e5be1e00d4fad05?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/1f581f0bb57ed4fd97eeb8353242d5a3c12548c2ff26373e9e5be1e00d4fad05?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Zibuyile Dladla\"},\"description\":\"Zibuyile began her media journey as a sales intern at Mediamark (Kagiso Media) before moving into digital content creation for ZAlebs.com. Over four years, she helped evolve the platform from a simple blog into one of South Africa\u2019s leading independent entertainment news sites. Following ZAlebs\u2019 transition to Celebrity Worx in 2016, Zibuyile was promoted to Executive Editor, recognized for her sharp audience insight and ability to match editorial with branded content. Highlights of her time include a Bookmark Award nomination, judging TLC\u2019s Next Great Presenter, reporting from the MTV EMAs, and building partnerships with radio stations like YFM, Cliff Central, and Good Hope FM. Her editorial work also expanded to include fast-growing digital verticals\u2014such as lifestyle tech, online entertainment, and gambling-related content\u2014tailored to evolving reader interests and brand opportunities.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/za.linkedin.com\\\/in\\\/zibuyile-dladla-9a26628a\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/author\\\/zibuyile-dladla\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Celtic Win 14th Scottish Premiership Title vs Hearts","description":"Celtic secure a record 14th Premiership title after a 3-1 win over Hearts in Glasgow, crushing their rivals\u2019 hopes and sealing glo","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/iheanacho-sparks-celtic-to-14th-premiership-title-after-hearts-defeat\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Celtic Win 14th Scottish Premiership Title vs Hearts","og_description":"Celtic secure a record 14th Premiership title after a 3-1 win over Hearts in Glasgow, crushing their rivals\u2019 hopes and sealing glo","og_url":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/iheanacho-sparks-celtic-to-14th-premiership-title-after-hearts-defeat\/","og_site_name":"Zalebs","article_published_time":"2026-05-18T16:38:47+00:00","og_image":[{"width":853,"height":491,"url":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/iheanacho-inspires-celtic-comeback-clinch-25ff.webp","type":"image\/webp"}],"author":"Zibuyile Dladla","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Zibuyile Dladla","Est. reading time":"1 minute"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/iheanacho-sparks-celtic-to-14th-premiership-title-after-hearts-defeat\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/iheanacho-sparks-celtic-to-14th-premiership-title-after-hearts-defeat\/"},"author":{"name":"Zibuyile Dladla","@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/6da1a9a659a2b9fb37587bf050637d1e"},"headline":"Iheanacho Sparks Celtic to 14th Premiership Title After Hearts Defeat","datePublished":"2026-05-18T16:38:47+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/iheanacho-sparks-celtic-to-14th-premiership-title-after-hearts-defeat\/"},"wordCount":175,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/iheanacho-sparks-celtic-to-14th-premiership-title-after-hearts-defeat\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/iheanacho-inspires-celtic-comeback-clinch-25ff.webp","articleSection":["Sports"],"inLanguage":"en-ZA","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/iheanacho-sparks-celtic-to-14th-premiership-title-after-hearts-defeat\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/iheanacho-sparks-celtic-to-14th-premiership-title-after-hearts-defeat\/","url":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/iheanacho-sparks-celtic-to-14th-premiership-title-after-hearts-defeat\/","name":"Celtic Win 14th Scottish Premiership Title vs Hearts","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/iheanacho-sparks-celtic-to-14th-premiership-title-after-hearts-defeat\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/iheanacho-sparks-celtic-to-14th-premiership-title-after-hearts-defeat\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/iheanacho-inspires-celtic-comeback-clinch-25ff.webp","datePublished":"2026-05-18T16:38:47+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/6da1a9a659a2b9fb37587bf050637d1e"},"description":"Celtic secure a record 14th Premiership title after a 3-1 win over Hearts in Glasgow, crushing their rivals\u2019 hopes and sealing glo","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/iheanacho-sparks-celtic-to-14th-premiership-title-after-hearts-defeat\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-ZA","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/iheanacho-sparks-celtic-to-14th-premiership-title-after-hearts-defeat\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/iheanacho-sparks-celtic-to-14th-premiership-title-after-hearts-defeat\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/iheanacho-inspires-celtic-comeback-clinch-25ff.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/iheanacho-inspires-celtic-comeback-clinch-25ff.webp","width":853,"height":491},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/iheanacho-sparks-celtic-to-14th-premiership-title-after-hearts-defeat\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Iheanacho Sparks Celtic to 14th Premiership Title After Hearts Defeat"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/#website","url":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/","name":"Zalebs","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-ZA"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/6da1a9a659a2b9fb37587bf050637d1e","name":"Zibuyile Dladla","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1f581f0bb57ed4fd97eeb8353242d5a3c12548c2ff26373e9e5be1e00d4fad05?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1f581f0bb57ed4fd97eeb8353242d5a3c12548c2ff26373e9e5be1e00d4fad05?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1f581f0bb57ed4fd97eeb8353242d5a3c12548c2ff26373e9e5be1e00d4fad05?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Zibuyile Dladla"},"description":"Zibuyile began her media journey as a sales intern at Mediamark (Kagiso Media) before moving into digital content creation for ZAlebs.com. Over four years, she helped evolve the platform from a simple blog into one of South Africa\u2019s leading independent entertainment news sites. Following ZAlebs\u2019 transition to Celebrity Worx in 2016, Zibuyile was promoted to Executive Editor, recognized for her sharp audience insight and ability to match editorial with branded content. Highlights of her time include a Bookmark Award nomination, judging TLC\u2019s Next Great Presenter, reporting from the MTV EMAs, and building partnerships with radio stations like YFM, Cliff Central, and Good Hope FM. Her editorial work also expanded to include fast-growing digital verticals\u2014such as lifestyle tech, online entertainment, and gambling-related content\u2014tailored to evolving reader interests and brand opportunities.","sameAs":["https:\/\/za.linkedin.com\/in\/zibuyile-dladla-9a26628a"],"url":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/author\/zibuyile-dladla\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/406","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=406"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/406\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/405"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=406"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=406"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=406"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}