Celtic fans have taken aim at Hearts striker Lawrence Shankland after new footage surfaced showing him attempting to rattle Arne Engels before his crucial penalty during Celtic’s 2-0 victory over Hearts at Parkhead.
Brendan Rodgers’ side maintained their perfect start to the season with a composed display, securing the win thanks to Engels’ penalty and a late strike from Luke McCowan. However, the post-match focus shifted to Shankland’s behaviour in the lead-up to Engels’ spot-kick.
In the video, Shankland can be heard shouting “Big pressure, big pressure…” in a bid to unsettle the penalty taker. Another Hearts player even added, “£10million? Aye, right!”—a jibe referencing the Belgian’s high price tag.
Despite the attempt to get into Engels’ head, the Celtic midfielder kept his cool and confidently slotted his penalty past Hearts keeper Craig Gordon, sending Celtic on their way to another victory
Shankland, who has long been a pantomime villain at Parkhead due to his known allegiance to Rangers, found himself once again on the receiving end of derision from the home crowd during the match. His attempt to disrupt Engels only added fuel to the fire.
After the game, Celtic supporters took to social media to mock Shankland, pointing out that his mind games had spectacularly backfired as Engels calmly scored.
The defeat was particularly damaging for Hearts, who now find themselves at the foot of the Scottish Premiership, while Celtic remain at the summit, continuing their dominant start to the season.
The resurfaced footage has only further emboldened Celtic fans, who were quick to continue their jibes at Shankland following his unsuccessful attempts to put off the penalty taker.
