Hearts underlines title threat in Scotland by beating Celtic to move 8 points clear

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EDINBURGH, Scotland (AP) — The 40-year dominance of Glasgow giants Celtic and Rangers in Scottish soccer looks to be in serious danger of ending.

Hearts underscored its status as a genuine threat to the Old Firm by beating Celtic 3-1 on Sunday to open up an eight-point lead in the Scottish Premiership.

Not since 1985, when Aberdeen was champion under Alex Ferguson, has a team other than Celtic or Rangers been Scottish champion.

Hearts could be about to change that in its first season since Tony Bloom, the billionaire owner of English Premier League club Brighton, bought a nearly 30% stake in the Edinburgh-based team.

Celtic slumped to back-to-back league defeats for the first time since 2023 thanks to second-half goals by Alexandros Kyziridis and Lawrence Shankland. Dane Murray’s own-goal gave Hearts the lead before Callum McGregor equalized.

Hearts hasn’t been this far ahead in the league since the 2005-06 season, the BBC reported. The team finished second that season.

Hearts — last champion in 1960 — lost out on winning the title in the 1985-86 season on the final day of the campaign, its 26-game unbeaten run coming to an end after giving up two goals in the last 10 minutes at Dundee. Celtic squeezed home to the championship, so beginning the Old Firm’s four-decades-long dominance.

Celtic is in second place and Rangers is in mid-table after a dismal start to the season in which the team has already changed managers.

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer