THINGS went from bad to worse for Celtic at Tynecastle as Hearts piled on the misery for Ange Postecoglou and his men.

Former Celt Gary Mackay-Steven had given the hosts an early lead, before a stunner from Tony Ralston in the second half looked to have given the visitors a platform to go on and take the three points.

It was the hosts though who would surge back into the game in the latter stages, and they were rewarded as John Souttar rose highest in the box in the 89th minute to nod home a famous winner for Robbie Neilson’s side.

Here are five talking points from a breathless night in Edinburgh.

PATIENCE WILL BE REQUIRED WITH CELTIC’S NEW SIGNINGS

As far as baptisms of fire go in Scottish football, there are few to match the intensity of a visit to Tynecastle, even with a reduced capacity crowd.

Postecoglou threw in new arrival Carl Starfelt straight from quarantine, and the central defender looked dazed by the frenetic action that was unfolding all around him.

He got under an early header and swiped at fresh air when Michael Smith whipped in a low cross, and he will have been hugely disappointed to have lost out in the 50/50 with Josh Ginnelly that ultimately led to Hearts’ opening goal.

To be fair to the Swede though, he did settle into the game after that frenzied opening spell, and showed one or two signs that he may well prove to be a useful acquisition once he has gotten up to speed.

Kyogo Furuhashi also came on for his debut as Celtic chased a winner, but the Japanese international also struggled to adapt to the pace and physicality of the game.

Both will be afforded time to adjust to their new surroundings, but Postecoglou will hope they can make an impact sooner rather than later.

CELTIC COULD HAVE DONE WITH KEEPING CRAIG GORDON

There is a bit of mythology that has grown surrounding the departure of Gordon from Celtic, with the fact the club did offer the keeper a contract sometimes forgotten.

At the time, Gordon was viewed as a back-up option had he stayed at Celtic, and he was offered reduced terms as a result.

At this stage of his career, he decided to return to his first club in search of games, and he will feel his choice has been vindicated as he enjoys something of an Indian Summer at Tynecastle.

What Celtic didn’t foresee was that their big-money number one, Vasilis Barkas, would prove to be such a huge disappointment. In hindsight, and the better Gordon performs, the more it makes the decision not to offer him terms as the Celtic number one look foolhardy.

In the final moments of this game, Gordon rubbed salt in his old club’s wounds. First, he spread himself to deny James Forrest when he was clean through, and then he dived low to his left to claw out Starfelt’s header from the resultant corner. Top-class saves from a top-class keeper, something Celtic are sorely lacking.

CELTIC’S ATTACK LETTING THE SIDE DOWN AS MUCH AS DEFENCE

For all the criticism that has come the way of the hugely inexperienced Celtic backline over the last few weeks – much of it deserved, it has to be said – there is also concern over the misfiring personnel in attack.

At what is supposed to be the sharp end of the team, Odsonne Edouard has never looked blunter.

The forward is a conundrum. He is certainly working hard enough, and he looks to be trying. But there is just something missing, that spark of creativity and the unerring finishing that made him such a hot prospect are conspicuous by their absence.

Too often, he is prone to dribbling up blind alleys and passing up opportunities to get shots away. Perhaps a move away and a clean break would be best for all parties.

Similarly, David Turnbull looks to be suffering from an uncharacteristic loss of form and confidence, and he passed up opportunities here with tentative finishing that was the antithesis of his swashbuckling arrival at the club last season.

James Forrest is a little behind fitness-wise, but he has passed up two gilt-edged chances in the matches against FC Midtjylland and Hearts which could have put a very different complexion on things.

All-in-all, averaging just one goal a game so far in their three competitive matches this term has contributed to their downfall as much as poor defending at the other end.

ANDY HALLIDAY IS A LUCKY BOY

You could argue that so too is Callum McGregor, as the Celtic captain escaped serious injury after a shocker of a tackle from the Hearts midfielder in the first half.

In slow motion, a case could certainly be made that Halliday could have saw red for the crude lunge on McGregor’s ankle. In fairness to the referee, in real time the point of contact was difficult to see, but the astounding thing was that Bobby Madden didn’t even see fit to caution the former Rangers man for a challenge which was crude in both conception and execution.

It was a deliberate attempt to halt a Celtic counter attack, and there was even befuddled laughter from the Hearts fans in the Main Stand when Madden kept his cards in his pocket.

HEARTS SPINE MAY TAKE THEM FAR

As well as having the hugely experience Gordon in goal, the excellence of Souttar in defence and the bustling nous of Liam Boyce up front, Neilson appears to have found a gem in midfielder Beni Baningime.

The new arrival from Everton was superb on the night, deservedly picking up the man of the match award after showcasing his ability to read the game, break up the play and find a pass.

Normally, newly-promoted sides are favourites to be among the relegation reckoning, but if Souttar can stay fit, there may just be cause for Hearts supporters to believe they can get right back in the mix in the top half of the Premiership this term, where they will feel they belong.