All eyes were on Wilfried Nancy as the Frenchman took charge of Celtic for the first time this afternoon, but a Cavan native proved to make the crucial intervention in the game as Hearts ran out 2-1 winners in the top of the table clash at Parkhead.

The two sides came into this game level on points at the top of the Scottish Premiership, although Celtic had played a game less. With Martin O’Neill having dragged them back into title contention during his interim spell in charge, Nancy would have been hoping to mark his first game in charge by returning the club to the top of the league.

However, that did not prove to be the case.

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Hearts took the lead just before halftime in this game, with Claudio Braga opening the scoring in the 43rd minute.

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They would double their lead just after the hour mark, with Cavan native Oisín McEntee scoring a brilliant header to grab his first goal for the club.

OISIN MCENTEE FINDS HEARTS’ SECOND GOAL AT CELTIC PARK🤯 pic.twitter.com/Nq7dIj8zoF

— Sky Sports Scotland (@ScotlandSky) December 7, 2025

McEntee, who earned seven caps for Ireland at U21 level, only joined the club last summer on a free transfer from Walsall. The 24-year old has gone on to all but one of their 16 Scottish Premiership fixtures so far this season.

Celtic would grab one goal back in injury time via Kieran Tierney, but it was not enough for Wilfried Nancy to avoid defeat in his first game charge of the club.

Speaking afterwards, the former Columbus Crew boss suggested that improvements would be needed over the coming weeks after his side lost a game in which they dominated possession.

🗣️ “I’m not about losing or winning, I’m about having a good performance… We all want to win”

Wilfried Nancy gives his assessment on Celtic’s loss to Hearts ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/pUP68eANUg

— Sky Sports Scotland (@ScotlandSky) December 7, 2025

An interesting perspective.

The games will come thick and fast for Celtic over the coming weeks, starting with a Europa League clash with Roma on Thursday evening. They will then face St Mirren in the League Cup final on Sunday, before a run of five league games in 17 days.

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