'Desperate': Hearts boss has say on Celtic and Rangers hunt, coach altercation and signing - once he finds UK

Hearts lead the division by four points after 23 matches following the stalemate with the champions and Rangers’ 3-0 win over Dundee. The Tynecastle side sit at the summit on 51 points, with Rangers on 47 and Celtic on 45. Fifteen games remain in an exhilarating title race.

Celtic led twice in Gorgie but after the red card for Auston Trusty on 77 minutes, Hearts kicked on again and Claudio Braga levelled ten minutes later. Given the hosts were without key trio Beni Baningime, Cammy Devlin and captain Lawrence Shankland, McInnes was pleased with his team’s character and reinforced the need for improvement as the Old Firm hunt them down.

"Coming from behind twice against a team of Celtic's quality, there's always a bit of pride and you want your players to keep going and show that perseverance that we did,” said McInnes "But I do think in terms of chances created and how the game played out, I thought we had the better and more chances to win the game.

"Not just when it was down to 10 men, but obviously more when they get down to 10 men. Celtic had a tough game on Thursday night and I think that factored into maybe them. But I thought the energy that we put into the game, the connection for everybody really in terms of effort was there.

"I'm delighted where we are. We've been there a while now. It's more than four months. It's not a purple patch, as I said last week. It's something that we're comfortable with. I'm enjoying where we are.

“We're well aware there's big clubs and good teams desperate to be where we are. We've got to be ready for that challenge as we go along. I've said all along, I think we're going to have to keep improving. I believe there's wins in us. If the fans keep that connection with the team today, who knows where it can take us.”

Leonard’s debut appraised by Hearts boss

McInnes handed a debut to 24-year-old midfielder Marc Leonard following his arrival on loan from Birmingham City. The manager was fulsome in his praise of the Tynecastle academy graduate’s performance.

“I think getting Marc in was really important because that profile of midfielder was what we were needing, to be honest. Somebody who could put his foot in the ball. He's got good quality, as you saw.”

"It's probably the ability to react. If it had happened in February, we wouldn't have been able to get Marc. I think the ability to react to Beni's suspension, Cammy's injury, and Tomas [Magnusson] was a doubt for this game. Oisin [McEntee] wasn't guaranteed. Ageu's still coming back. So, in two or three weeks' time, hopefully we'll have really good options.”

McInnes was involved in an altercation with a member of the Celtic coaching staff - believed to be Mark Fotheringham - after Benjamin Nygren’s opener. "That's one place I'll not be going!” he said of the Celtic dugout. “So, for me, nothing to do with Martin or Shaun [Maloney]. It was just one of the inexperienced coaches who got a bit carried away. That's all I've got to say on it."

The two technical areas also disagreed on Trusty’s red card, which was upgraded from a yellow following a VAR review and was Celtic’s first domestic dismissal since March 2024. "I've not seen it again,” said McInnes. “My take on it is, and I think what the fourth official said to me, is that they needed to be sure that Kabore would get a shot away.

“My thought was, 'he's definitely going to get a shot away'. He broke the line. Celtic don't get red cards domestically. It was a bit of a shock when VAR turned it and made it a red. But for me it looked like a red card offence.”

McInnes also hopes to have Ugandan forward Rogers Mato signed from FK Vardar in time for next weekend’s match against Dundee United. “I hope he finds the net quicker than he finds the UK,” quipped McInnes. “But he should be in this week.”