ANDRIUS VELICKA was the scourge of Celtic again as he came off the bench to grab an injury-time leveller from the spot. The Lithuanian striker has a habit of scoring against the Hoops and hurt Gordon Strachan's side once more by cancelling out Scott McDonald's opener. Velicka netted at Parkhead in the league last season and his double sent Celtic crashing out of the CIS Cup earlier in this campaign. His strike yesterday snatched two precious points from the champions and kept Strachan waiting for his first clean sheet on the road since October last year. But the Hoops are still top of the table as they head to Milan looking for the draw that will send them into the last 16 of the Champions League. Strachan must have been pleased to see Velicka on the bench as Hearts handed Christian Nade the lone striker's role. Injuries forced the Parkhead boss to play two central defenders at full-back and the Jambos tried to take advantage in wide areas. They did just that to carve out a great chance after three minutes. Laryea Kingston linked well with Andrew Driver to get away from Paul Hartley and Darren O'Dea on the right. Nade and Ruben Palazuelos then combined at the edge of the area and the ball was rolled to Audrius Ksanavicius. He was just 10 yards from goal in a great position on the left but lost composure and drilled wide. It looked like we were in for a cracking 90 minutes, that the game would live up to its hype. But it wasn't to be. Still, the Hearts fans seemed satisfied to berate former skipper Steven Pressley. Considering Elvis never had a desire to leave Tynecastle their treatment after nearly a decade of service was appalling. Old Firmsupporters are constantly under the spotlight for their behaviour so it's surprising Hearts fans aren't being investigated by the authorities. Their chanting is vile. There was little for the visiting supporters to get excited about. Jiri Jarosik sent a powerful drive inches wide from 22 yards and McDonald blazed over from close range after being set up by a low Aiden McGeady cross. With neither side looking capable of playing their way through, set-pieces were going to be vital. And Christophe Berra almost scored for Hearts with a header at the back post from a corner. Berra impressed throughout and the Jambos skipper is developing into a fine central defender. He looks comfortable on the ball and gives away little in the air with aggressive challenges. For long spells, though, there was little to admire in this game. Only Kingston and McGeady displayed flashes of invention to make you believe you were being entertained. But neither playmaker could penetrate enough to force the opposition keeper into a save in the first 45 minutes. The second half was also going nowhere until Celtic broke the deadlock in 72 minutes. Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink was fouled almost 30 yards out by Ibrahim Tall and Hartley tried his luck from the free-kick. His swerving effort should have been comfortably dealt with by Anthony Basso but the Frenchman palmed it back out and you don't do that when McDonald is around. Just ask AC Milan keeper Dida. The Australian striker reacted quickest and was there to poke the ball home with his right foot to send his team-mates and the travelling fans wild. Celtic pushed for a killer second and McGeady forced Basso into a good save at his near post. But Hearts recovered and had a go at the champions after making three substitutions. Jambos put Artur Boruc under pressure and one of those subs grabbed a late leveller. Celtic lost possession in midfield and the ball was played to Ksanavicius who tried his luck from 20 yards. The vicious strikewas parried into the air superbly by Boruc and Gary Caldwell nudged Tall as the Gorgie defender tried to head home from the rebound. Velicka stepped up and fired his penalty well beyond the keeper's outstretched right arm. A draw was just about the right result. However, this was almost a non-event after some of the blood-and-thunder games between the sides in recent seasons. Let's hope the next clash between these giants lives up to the billing and delivers a thriller. MATCH STATS HEARTS SHOTS ON 7 SHOTS OFF 3 OFFSIDE 1 FOULS 21 CORNERS 3 BOOKINGS 2 CELTIC SHOTS ON 3 SHOTS OFF 6 OFFSIDE 6 FOULS 8 CORNERS 5 BOOKINGS 0 REF WATCH KENNY CLARK controlled the game well and made sensible decisions. The whistler was also right to award Hearts a penalty for Caldwell's push on Tall. It's a pity Clark will be lost to the game at the end of the season. Rating:7/10. | 
