Hearts 1 - 2

Scorers: Hearts - Mikoliunas (28); Celtic - Vennegoor of Hesselink (59), Jarosik (81)

This was a day for Celtic to savour the sweet sensation of vengeance. It rippled through their dressing room after the final whistle was blown on another red-blooded 90 minutes, but nowhere would the satisfying emotion have been felt more keenly than deep within Steven Pressley.

The result was underscored by the committed part he played in Gordon Strachan's side gaining retribution for defeat at Tynecastle in August, their only league reverse of the season. Pressley, of course, had been captain of Hearts in that previous collision. Yesterday, he was clad in the Celtic armband as strode back on to the stage from which he had been banished by Vladimir Romanov. As Strachan and his players whooped it up at full time, Pressley wore the same focused expression as when the coin was flipped pre-match. There had been jeers and there had been abuse, some of it vivid from those whose memories dismissed his eight years at the club, but the 33-year-old had remained unmoved. The biggest hurdle of his nascent Celtic career had been cleared.

The Parkhead side could also derive pleasure from overcoming an insipid first-half performance, which deservedly saw them fall behind to a jaw-dropping effort from Saulius Mikoliunas. As so often this season, Celtic's change in fortune was manufactured by substitutions. Strachan's replacement of Maciej Zurawski with Craig Beattie after 53 minutes proved pivotal, as the Scot generated a whole new dimension of attacking threat.

Hearts supporters, though, will look at a change two minutes earlier as contributing hugely to their downfall. Andrew Driver had excelled on the left side of the midfield, but the young winger succumbed to the effects of a virus which had been working on him all week.

Valdas Ivanuaskas, the Tynecastle head coach, chose Calum Elliot as his replacement, squeezing the striker into an unfamiliar role in the centre of the pitch. Hearts' control of the match ebbed away, never to be regained.

Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink poached an equaliser before Jiri Jarosik struck in the 81st minute to restore Celtic's 17-point advantage at the top of Bank of Scotland Premierleague. Fingers were pointed at Craig Gordon's involvement, or lack of it, in both those goals, but Ivanuaskas absolved the Scotland goalkeeper of blame afterwards.

This was the third time in a year that Hearts have held the lead against Celtic only to finish as losers. The circumstances may not have been as dramatic as previous collapses but this was still a wounding defeat. It leaves the Tynecastle side five points behind Rangers in the scrap to finish second and attain the chance of Champions League qualification.

Pressley led Celtic in the absence of the suspended Neil Lennon and the injured Stephen McManus. His first action of note was a near rugby tackle on Roman Bednar, which raised the temperature of those Hearts fans chilled by the biting winds which whipped the stadium. Those early jitters, though, would soon fade from his game.

It was predictable that physicality would dominate finesse as the match rumbled into life. Lennon's absence was felt by Celtic as Evander Sno and, especially, Thomas Gravesen, charged randomly around midfield to minimal effect.

Strachan's team have relied on Shunsuke Nakamura's subtle skills to brighten their palette throughout this season and the Japanese midfielder painted a path to goal for Zurawski with a tempting through-ball. The angle for the finish was acute, yet that did not excuse the Pole's embarrassing fresh-air swipe as he failed to test Gordon.

Artur Boruc had been similarly idle until awoken by a long-range strike from Mikoliunas which he clutched to his chest. It was to prove merely a rangefinder. On 28 minutes, Bednar steered a ball wide to the Lithuanian, who advanced with eyes sizing up the opportunities in front of him. At 30 yards out, he drove his left foot through the ball to swerve a spectacular shot inside Boruc's left-hand post. The goalkeeper was slow to react but so deceptive was the movement of the strike that it may not have made any difference.

Celtic's response was awaited, but instead their hopes were almost consumed by a maroon tide of attacks as the interval approached. Bednar played in Driver as Hearts countered at pace, with Boruc at full-stretch to push away the drive. Paul Hartley seized upon the loose ball and, when Boruc blocked his attempted cutback, Bednar dived in to send a header looping towards the net. It took an impressive clearance from Paul Telfer to prevent the ball crossing the line. Shortly afterwards, Driver was set up by Christophe Berra, only to fire directly at goalkeeper from little more than eight yards.

Zurawski finally drew a save from Gordon during first-half injury time, but it seemed almost an afterthought given what had gone before. When Celtic eventually found inspiration, it sprang from an unexpected source.

The introduction of Beattie's pace immediately stretched open new spaces. Vennegoor of Hesselink was the recipient of his first cross and, when Gordon blocked that close range header, Nakamura gathered the ball. He struck powerfully on goal, only for Takis Fyssas to match Telfer with another excellent last-ditch denial.

The momentum had now swung and Celtic were level three minutes later. Again, it was Beattie who created the opportunity, dragging wide to collect a pass from Sno, who had powerfully run Elliot off the ball. His whack towards the near post proved too fiery for Gordon to handle cleanly and Vennegoor of Hesselink converted the gift. The Dutchman had been a virtual bystander before Beattie's introduction.

Gary Pendrey, Celtic's assistant manager, received a quiet word from the police to calm down after hammering the dugout in delight. Hearts' supporters in the vicinity had been foaming at the mouth and they were almost plunged into further apoplexy shortly afterwards.

Ibrahim Tall, a first-half replacement for the injured Nerijus Barasa, played Beattie onside and his delivery was rolled to Nakamura via a Sno backheel. He unleashed an explosive drive which deflected off the underside of the bar, before Marius Zaliukas dived in to thwart Vennegoor of Hesselink.

Yet another Celtic comeback was complete with just nine minutes remaining. Jarosik, preferred to Aiden McGeady or Derek Riordan at left midfield, tricked his way beyond Mikoliunas and drove at Tall near the angle of the box. He shifted inside and curled a low right foot shot inside Gordon's far post. Pressley had been granted his victorious return.

Hearts (4-4-2) Gordon; Barasa (Tall 24), Berra, Zaliukas, Fyssas; Mikoliunas, Hartley, McCann, Driver (Elliot 51); Bednar (Pospisil 74), Velicka. Subs: Banks, Wallace, Mole, Jonsson Celtic (4-4-2) Boruc; Telfer, Pressley, O'Dea, Naylor; Nakamura, Sno, Gravesen, Jarosik; Zurawski (Beattie 53), Vennegoor of Hesselink. Subs: Marshall, Miller, McGeady, Riordan, Lawson, Conroy Referee Kenny Clark