Hearts’ title surge shows they can challenge Old Firm in 2026

Hearts lead the Scottish Premiership by three points with three games remaining after beating Rangers on Sunday.

Celtic manager on Hearts rise Martin O’Neill, Celtic’s manager, believes Hearts are now in a position to challenge consistently for the Scottish Premiership title. With three points ahead of Celtic and only three matches left, Hearts are aiming to become the first non-Old Firm side to win the top flight since Aberdeen in 1985. O’Neill credits Hearts’ recent consistency to the investment from Brighton owner Tony Bloom and his analytics firm. Speaking to talkSPORT, he said, 'Why not? Absolutely. Tony Bloom has invested in Brighton and he has also done the same at Hearts.' ## Hearts’ impact on Premiership O’Neill, while not neutral, acknowledged Hearts have brought excitement to the league this season. He noted Hearts have challenged the two dominant clubs and described the rivalry as beneficial for the Premiership. 'If you’re looking at it from a neutral viewpoint, which I certainly am not, but if you were, then there’s been excitement this season because Hearts have come up, thrown down the gauntlet to the two big teams,' he said. O’Neill gave 'great credit' to Hearts for their strong start and ability to maintain their position. ## Title race outlook after Rangers defeat Sunday’s win over Rangers removed Celtic and Rangers from title contention, with Hearts now seven points clear of Rangers and four ahead of Celtic. Second place still secures Champions League qualification, making the remaining games crucial for all teams. 'Rangers now are quite a number of points behind Hearts,' O’Neill stated. He added that overcoming such a gap with three games left would be extremely difficult but not impossible. 'We’re talking about three games left, so that would be difficult to overcome at this particular stage.' ## Goal difference and final games O’Neill highlighted Hearts’ superior goal difference as a key factor in their title bid. He admitted hoping for a draw between Hearts and Rangers to keep the title race open for Celtic. 'I suppose I was looking for a draw [between Hearts and Rangers]. A draw is very, very difficult to cheer on,' he said. 'As it turns out, mathematically speaking, it’s not actually in our own hands.' Despite this, he stressed Celtic would continue fighting with a chance to retain the title.