KEITH JACKSON

SCOTLAND'S MOST INFLUENTIAL SPORTS COLUMNIST

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HIBS got the happy New Year they wanted. And Celtic did too for that matter.

But even though Hearts left Leith on Saturday licking their wounds after a dramatic 3-2 derby defeat, there was something about the reaction which may even have been felt by the champions as the team bus pulled up a few miles along the M8 at Livingston at around the same time.

No petted lips. No hard-luck stories, even though skipper Lawrence Shankland almost snatched a draw in injury time when his shot was repelled by Raphael Sallinger's right boot at pointblank range.

No, there was something noticeably different about the nature of the response when the dust was finally settling on an epic skirmish between Edinburgh's big two.

Sheer, undiluted anger.

It was positively ripping out of skipper Shankland in the media room afterwards and manager Derek McInnes was also struggling to keep his own temper in check.

And this sense of Easter Road rage might just be the best indicator yet of the Tynecastle club's true intentions as they motor off into the second half of this unprecedented wacky races of a topflight campaign.

The table might be taking shape now that Rangers have leapfrogged Motherwell into third place and Celtic have moved directly into the wing mirrors of the early pacesetters.

As a matter of fact, Wilfried Nancy could hit the accelerator and drive his side into top spot before Hearts kick a ball in 2026 assuming the accident-prone Frenchman can make it safely out of Motherwell tomorrow night with three points and another whopper of a scoreline.