Soccer

Celtic rattle in seven goals to break Hearts

Kris Commons leads the way with hat-trick in cup rout

Celtic’s Kris Commons scores from the penalty spot to complete his hat-trick during the Scottish Cup fourth-round match against Hearts at Tynecastle. Photograph: Kirk O’Rourke/PA
Celtic’s Kris Commons scores from the penalty spot to complete his hat-trick during the Scottish Cup fourth-round match against Hearts at Tynecastle. Photograph: Kirk O’Rourke/PA
Sun Dec 01 2013 - 17:29

Hearts 0 Celtic 7: Celtic romped through to the Scottish Cup fifth round with a 7-0 humiliation of Hearts at Tynecastle, handing the Edinburgh side their biggest defeat in 40 years.

The cup holders were knocked out of Europe with a 3-0 Champions League defeat to AC Milan at Parkhead on Tuesday night and they took their frustrations out on the Jambos to lead 5-0 at half-time with a Kris Commons brace and goals from skipper Scott Brown, Joe Ledley and Mikael Lustig.

A one-sided contest continued after the break as Commons completed his hat-trick in the 58th minute from the spot with Brown grabbing his second – and the Hoops’ seventh – in the 74th minute with a volley from the edge of the box.

The holders will be the side everyone will want to avoid in Monday’s draw for the next round Hearts, who lost 7-0 at home to rivals Hibernian in 1973, must lick their wounds and hope the thrashing does not have too much affect on their bid to stave off relegation from the Scottish Premiership.