Derek McInnes watched as Hearts beat Rangers 2-1 at Tynecastle on Monday evening, a result that left Hearts three points clear of Celtic with three games left and a genuine shot at their first top-flight title since 1960.
The victory over Rangers tightened the title picture. Rangers are seven points behind Hearts with three games remaining and four points behind Celtic, meaning they can still influence the outcome at the top even if their own hopes are waning. A Rangers win at Celtic on Sunday would, combined with a Hearts win over Motherwell on Saturday, leave Celtic six points behind Hearts with two games left to play.
Hearts’ immediate run of fixtures keeps the drama compressed. They travel to Motherwell on Saturday, then face Falkirk midweek, and the two clubs are scheduled to meet Celtic on the final day of the season at Tynecastle on May 13. League permutations on paper are simple: Hearts hold a three-point advantage with three games left and can clinch the crown under certain results.
The European picture adds another layer. Rangers need to finish second to secure Champions League football next season; if they slip to third and Celtic lose the Scottish Cup final, Rangers would drop into the Conference League. Those permutations mean Sunday’s Old Firm at Celtic Park will carry extra weight beyond bragging rights.
Motherwell present a difficult test for Hearts. The Fir Park side have conceded just nine goals in 17 home games this season and only Falkirk have beaten them there — and Falkirk have done so twice. Motherwell beat Rangers 3-2 at Ibrox a fortnight ago, held Hearts to a 0-0 draw at Fir Park in November, and earlier in the season pushed Hearts hard at Tynecastle, going 3-0 up in August before Claudio Braga helped Hearts come back to draw.
That history matters because Hearts cannot rely on complacency. Derek McInnes warned plainly of a cliff-edge finish: "I expect the title race to go right down to the final day." The compact calendar and the resilience shown by Motherwell at home mean a single slip could reshape the table in 48 hours.
There is a small but notable contradiction hanging over the close of the season. Published scenarios say Hearts could clinch their first top-flight title since 1960 by avoiding defeat to Falkirk on May 13, yet the fixture list places the Falkirk match midweek and the final, decisive meeting with Celtic at Tynecastle on May 13. That mismatch leaves the exact clinching moment unclear on paper and underlines how tightly the remaining matches are being scrutinised.
For now the numbers favour Hearts. They are three points clear, Celtic trail on goal difference, and Rangers are a distant but still potentially disruptive force. If Hearts navigate Motherwell and the midweek tie without dropping ground, they will go into the final day with the initiative and the chance to end a 66-year wait for the club’s first top-flight crown.
Given the balance of fixtures and the defensive record of their upcoming opponents, the most likely outcome is that Hearts will carry a lead into May 13 and that the final match at Tynecastle will decide a title chase McInnes expects to the very end; the unanswered detail is simply which result — and which opponent — will deliver the long-awaited conclusion.
