It was an enthralling weekend in the title race and our man has his say on the three-way battle at the top – or should it be four?
06:00, 16 Feb 2026Updated 06:49, 16 Feb 2026
Celtic’s Julian Araujo celebrates scoring to make it 3-2 with fans
Never in the field of Scottish football conflict has so much been owed by so many to so few.
You don’t need to come over all Churchillian to realise the enormous scale of the favour that Hearts have been giving to the game in this country since this epic campaign kicked off seven months or so ago.
Rangers may have had a funny way of showing it on Sunday, when Danny Rohl’s side mustered up their best performance of the season to cut the gap at the top to just two points, which is some going considering they were 13 back when the German took on the job.
But, while anxiety levels are going through the roof, it’s worth remembering that Hearts remain in pole position. With only 11 games left for them to play.
With one obvious exception, on the other side of the capital city, fans of all other clubs across the land must have been throwing their lot in with Derek McInnes and his players at least at some point and, in most cases, consistently since they started stretching out at the top of the Premiership table.
Celtic remain clinging onto those maroon coattails even though the champions have rendered themselves seemingly unable to win matches within the space of 90 minutes.
They are surviving from week to week and game to game by the skin of their teeth and on Sunday at Rugby Park they had to dig deep into their reserves of resilience all over again to pinch all the points in the seventh minute of injury time, after falling two goals behind during a lamentably lacklustre opening 45 minutes.
The powers of recovery Martin O’Neill’s players are relying upon are truly remarkable but the fact that they are being required so regularly points to the lack of quality which continues to undermine this creaking title defence.
Celtic’s Julian Araujo celebrates scoring to make it 3-2
It was Julian Araujo who saved the day in the dying moments on Sunday and when the Mexican slammed home into the roof of Kilmarnock’s net it meant Celtic secured six points from back-to-back games against the bottom two teams in the division. With pretty much the last kick of the ball on both occasions.
Of course, it is possible that they can go on like this, scrambling late wins all the way to the finishing line, but it’s highly improbable all the same.
What is truly incredible, however, is the intense, sweaty-palmed nature of this three way fight for domestic supremacy. And let’s not forget either that Motherwell remain on the fringes of it all, having bagged three more points at home to Aberdeen in between all of Sunday’s more high profile plot twists.
It’s been breathtaking stuff for some time now but, with each passing round of fixtures, it has become box office like never before.
And, like it or not, every single one of us has Hearts to thank for that. Since this campaign got up and running back in August they’ve been writing the feel good story that Scottish football always knew it needed but never dared to believe it would ever get.
This is precisely the fairytale for which our national game has been crying out and if Hearts can finish off what they have started, they will be driven over the line by the sheer force of will of supporters of all colours and most probably from way beyond our own borders.
Celtic fans might not wish to admit it. But, for a long time on Sunday afternoon, they too might have been hoping for the league leaders to get in and out of Ibrox later the same day, without having too much damage inflicted upon them.
Because if this fantastic flurry of late winners should suddenly dry up and O’Neill and his players become too detached from the top to make a serious run at it, then they’ll be hoping against hope that Hearts don’t falter enough to allow Rangers in through the back door.
Make no mistake, O’Neill and his players will have been in the very same boat as they made their way back up the road on the team bus. A share of the points at the other end of the M77 would have provided a perfect end to another difficult day in Ayrshire.
Because, in the very worst case scenario for the champions, if O’Neill can’t complete his own miracle this season then Glasgow’s east end will be reduced to hoping that Hearts stop Rangers getting their hands on the holy grail.
Celtic manager Martin O’Neill
The Ibrox club’s support are only coming around to the idea that their team could yet claim the crown, having written the entire campaign off not so long ago when Russell Martin was going wild swimming at Loch Lomond while looking all washed up at the same time.
For many weeks during the whole Martin made dystopia, they were crossing their fingers that Hearts would last the course and distance in a manner which seemed way beyond the limits of their own team.
That’s not the case now though. And it most certainly was not on Sunday when the league leaders arrived on Glasgow’s south side, just as Celtic were making their way back up the motorway with their hearts in mouths.
What followed was 90 minutes of such dynamism and intrigue that it somehow managed to ramp the whole thing up another notch or two.
There were moments when Rangers looked like bowing out of the race, falling behind twice as they did to two first half goals.
But enormous credit is due for the manner in which they recovered from these blows to haul themselves level on both occasions.
And, ultimately, in this season through the looking glass, it just had to be settled by a hat-trick from Youssef Chermiti – a striker who continues to confuse all who watch him but who is capable of making enormous contributions at critical times.
Chermiti’s personal treble guarantees that this three horse race will now gallop on into the final furlong and that the stress levels involved are likely to soar into previously unchartered territory.
None of it would have happened without Hearts. But what happens from here on in is now anyone’s guess regardless.
The game in this country may well owe them a favour. But whichever of these three comes out on top when the dust settles some time in May, they’ll have had to earn it the hard way – and all by themselves.