Craig Beattie came off the bench to gun down Hearts with the winner at Tynecastle and send the champions into a final day title shoot-out two points clear of Rangers.

Celtic looked to be feeling the heat from Rangers' win over Motherwell and the reaction from the Hearts players to the dramatic departure of head coach John Robertson this week.

But unlike two seasons ago when the title went to Ibrox on the final day, just weeks after a defeat at Tynecastle, they held their nerve to move 90 minutes away from the trophy.

Celtic target Paul Hartley's second-half equaliser, after Alan Thompson's deflected strike had fired Celtic ahead, certainly tested their nerve but super sub Beattie had other ideas with the winner before joint-caretaker boss Steven Pressley was controversially sent off late on.

The clash was always going to be fiery even before this week's events at Tynecastle - which saw skipper Pressley and John McGlynn put in temporary charge.

But goalkeeper Robert Douglas gave Celtic some anxious moments early on.

After just 90 seconds the Scotland number one dropped a Joe Hamill corner and Andrew Webster pounced at the back post but his effort flew over off a visiting player.

Moments later and the Leicester City target again spilled another Hamill corner and the ball broke to Paul Hartley but he drove over from just inside the box.

But Douglas looked a bit more convincing in the 13th minute when he dived to his left to direct away a right-foot shot from the edge of the area from Weir.

Celtic were finding it difficult to cope with the workrate and pressure from the pumped-up fifth-placed outfit and they certainly were not troubling Craig Gordon.

Chris Sutton summed up the game so far in the 21st minute when he was late with a challenge on Weir which deservedly earned him a yellow card from referee Willie Young.

But the visitors took some of the heat off themselves when they snatched the lead against the run of play in the 25th minute.

It was the first time they had put a few passes together as Stilian Petrov played Bellamy away into space down the right channel.

The Welsh frontman then clipped a dangerous cross into the box but the Hearts defence could have easily put the ball behind or even cleared it, instead of allowing the ball to come all the way to Thompson at the back post which proved decisive.

The Englishman let fly with a left-foot shot from 18 yards and it took a deflection off Robbie Neilson and flew past Gordon.

That failed to calm Celtic down and O'Neill had to be spoken to by Young moments later after fourth official Mike Delaney had made a complaint about the Northern Irishman.

Bobo Balde looked as though the speculation about his future was having an affect on him as he went into the book for another clumsy challenge in the 29th minute

The Hearts defence again looked suspect in the 37th minute from Jackie McNamara's free-kick but Hartson was unable to turn the loose ball past Gordon.

But Celtic were let off the hook in the 39th minute when Neilson picked out Weir with a free header at the back post but with all the target to aim for, he headed at Douglas.

Douglas, however, was doing very little to ease their nerves from crosses and he spilled another one which Saulius Mikoliunas could only lob over the crossbar.

Celtic started the second-half better but Stanislav Varga earned himself a telling off from Pressley in the 51st minute after diving in the area from Lennon's free-kick.

Petrov was again playing a pivotal role and he picked out Hartson in the centre in the 65th minute but his low shot on the turn was comfortably saved by Gordon.

O'Neill made a change moments later when he brought on in-form youngster Beattie for Player of the Year Hartson - which would later turn out to be crucial in the title race.

Hartley was booked for a bad challenge on Petrov before he punished Celtic for falling asleep at the back when Hartley pounced on a loose ball to fire a right-foot shot across the body of Douglas and into the bottom corner.

But Celtic came fighting back as Bellamy put Beattie through but his shot was brilliantly diverted past the post by Gordon.

The Hoops were then celebrating prematurely as Sutton got on the end of Thompson's corner and headed against the upright and down before Gordon collected and referee Young waved play on despite claims from some players and fans that the ball had crossed the line.

Bellamy then wasted a great chance when he took Petrov's pass and blasted the ball over from 16 yards.

But there was more high drama as Beattie continued his remarkable scoring record when he fired the champions back into the lead with just 13 minutes to go.

Again the Bulgarian was the provider as he played the ball through and the youngster overlapped Bellamy to blast the ball past Gordon.

To add to Hearts' woes in their final home game of the campaign, former Rangers man Pressley was shown his second yellow card for diving in the final minute after a challenge in the box from Beattie - who emerged the hero.

Teams

Hearts Gordon, Neilson, Pressley, Webster, Wallace, Mikoliunas (McGeown 72), MacFarlane (Simmons 72), Hartley, Hamill, Miller, Weir (Thorarinsson 81).

Subs Not Used: Moilanen, Wyness, Stewart, Sives.

Sent Off: Pressley (90).

Booked: Mikoliunas, Hartley, Pressley.

Goals: Hartley 71.

Celtic Douglas, Agathe, Balde, Varga, McNamara, Petrov, Lennon, Sutton, Thompson, Bellamy, Hartson (Beattie 66).

Subs Not Used: Marshall, Valgaeren, Lambert, Laursen, Maloney, McGeady.

Booked: Sutton, Balde, Thompson, Bellamy.

Goals: Thompson 25, Beattie 77.

Att: 15,927

Ref: W Young (Scotland).