Wilfried Nancy defends Celtic's 'really good moments' after 2-1 Hearts defeat as Kris Boyd says Derek McInnes' side can 'take this all the way'
Wilfried Nancy on Celtic's 2-1 home defeat to Hearts in his first game in charge: "The result was not what we wanted, but I think that we had a really good first half... We had really, really good moments, but obviously it was not enough"
Monday 8 December 2025 06:24, UK
New Celtic boss Wilfried Nancy pointed to the "really good moments" during his debut in the dugout despite 2-1 defeat by league leaders Hearts, whose victory shows they can take the title race "all the way" according to Kris Boyd.
After interim boss Martin O'Neill had managed to overturn an eight-point gap to the top of the table with a run of five straight league wins, Nancy's opener handed the advantage back to their visitors with a toothless 2-1 home defeat - with Celtic's goal a 93rd-minute consolation from centre-back Kieran Tierney.
Nancy attempted to stamp his authority on his new team by switching to a back three for his first game and despite a bright opening 15 minutes and 72 per cent of the ball overall, they failed to seriously test visiting goalkeeper Alexander Schwolow until the final 10 minutes.
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Even so, Nancy defended his side's showing to Sky Sports after the game, saying: "The result was not what we wanted, but I think that we had a really good first half.
"We had opportunities to break and also to score goals. I think that we could have done better in terms of the last pass and the execution, but I really liked the way we unbalanced them to create chances.
"I think that this is something that we will be able to work on because it was really interesting. We conceded a goal against the momentum. Again, I think that when we rewatch the game, we can do better
"We started the second half well, but we conceded the second goal in transition. After that, when we wanted to come back, I think that we put crosses and crosses and crosses, but they are strong inside the box.
"I think that we missed a bit of a connection in relation to being able to create a cross or pass, more pass than cross, and to get more numbers inside the box.
"This is something that I'm going to look at because, like I said, the spirit was spot on. We had really, really good moments, but obviously it was not enough.
"It was not easy for the players knowing that I came three days ago, but the mindset was spot on."
McFadden: Celtic would have lost regardless of manager
The Sky Sports studio panel had sympathy with the new manager, who only took his first training session on Thursday after his long-awaited appointment was finally confirmed the previous evening.
"Hearts have shown this season that had Martin O'Neill been in charge, it was still a game Celtic could have lost," said former Scotland forward James McFadden.
"And if Celtic lost the game, they would have said, 'well, why are you waiting to get a manager in who's ready to come in?' The timing's always going to be difficult.
"The biggest issue was always going to be that it was clear that Wilfred Nancy wants to play a back three and it was clear he was going to put that in place as soon as he could.
"I'm not saying there's any issue with changing the formation, the top players we're talking about should be able to deal with that.
"The timing was always going to be the issue for Celtic because Martin O'Neill probably exceeded his own expectations, and the form that he showed, the results that he was getting,
"The big one for me, where I think the question marks or the doubts would come in about how soon you make the change, was the final away performance. It was a top performance away from home in Europe, it's something we don't see a lot of from Celtic.
"So that was where you're thinking, is there a rush? You've got Hearts, top of the table clash, you've got Roma, if you win or get a draw, it's a good result, getting into the Europa League campaign, and then you've got [the League Cup final]."
Boyd: Hearts can take title race all the way
Hearts' victory ended a run of four consecutive games without a win for Derek McInnes' side. They only had one win since beating Celtic at Tynecastle in Brendan Rodgers' final game on October 26.
McInnes and his players had both defended their form ahead of their visit to Celtic Park, and were vindicated as they picked up just a second league win at Parkhead since 2009 to put daylight between themselves and their hosts at the top.
Hearts could now be six points clear at the top by the time Celtic next play a league game, owing to the latter's involvement in the League Cup final next weekend.
Nancy's side will have two games in hand by that point and even in a worst-case scenario, will still be able to move level on points with Hearts should they win both - but former Scotland striker Boyd believes the statement result of Hearts' win shows they can take the title race "all the way".
He said: "No disrespect to Rangers and Celtic, anybody up there will be looking at the two of them and thinking there's an opportunity. Hearts have been to Glasgow twice and beaten Celtic, beaten Rangers and beaten Celtic at Tynecastle as well.
"They have to have belief they can go the distance. Otherwise, they're in the wrong movie. There's a long way to go, but you look at that Hearts squad.
"The competition for places is strong. Will they strengthen in January? You'd like to think so, they won't throw money at it but do they maybe change that with what's going on now?
"They will see there's an opportunity to go all the way. If they keep their key players fit, they have a real opportunity of going the course and taking this all the way."
