Hearts are now even money favourites to win the Scottish Premiership after a dramatic Old Firm derby ended 2-2 on Sunday.
Derek McInnes' side had beaten Aberdeen 1-0 on Saturday to open a seven-point lead at the top and will have been delighted with how things played out at Ibrox 24 hours later.
Having raced into an early 2-0 lead, nearest challengers Rangers were pegged bag by arch rivals Celtic with the Bhoys equalising in stoppage time.
Hearts have not been Scottish champions since 1960 and the last time a club from outside the Old Firm won the title was when Sir Alex Ferguson led Aberdeen to back-to-back triumphs in 1984 and 1985.
Scottish Premiership 25/26 title odds (via Sky Bet)
- Hearts - Evens
- Rangers - 5/2
- Celtic - 5/2
- Motherwell - 12/1
Odds correct at 14:30 GMT (23/02/26)
The Edinburgh club are now six points clear at the top with just four games remaining before the division's end-of-season split, although Celtic can reduce that to five if they win their game in hand.
It's a remarkable journey for a team who were generally 25/1 before a ball was kicked but 6/4 by the end of October, seizing on the opportunity presented by disarray at both Glasgow giants, who have sacked three permanent managers between them this season.
Motherwell also continue to shorten, in from 28/1 to 12s just over the last week.
That movement pales into insignificance given that Jens Berthel Askou's side began the campaign as 1000/1 rank outsiders and even drifted to 2000/1 partway through the season.
They beat Dundee United at the weekend to continue a remarkable run of form, losing just one of their last 20 league games and winning five of six.
The 10-point gap, albeit with a game in hand, is likely too much to overhaul at this stage, though.
Before the split Motherwell must travel to both Hearts and Celtic too, which could prove to be title-deciding encounters.
How does the Scottish Premiership split work?
The Scottish Premiership "splits" in half after 33 games - after the division's 12 clubs have all played each other three times.
The top six and bottom six then all play each other once more to add an extra layer of jeopardy to the season's finale.
Odds correct at 09:50 GMT (2/3/26)
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