"I can't believe what I am seeing."

The words of one Heart ofMidlothian fan in the away end at Celtic Park. Glancing up at the clock which was ticking down slowly, very slowly, in the second half, his side still held their 2-0 lead over the Scottish champions. 

"Usually you come here and the ball gets sucked into the Celtic net."

Note the word "usually". There was nothing usual about Saturday in the east end of Glasgow. Hearts weren't meant to go Celtic and get a result. Let alone a win. Let alone a comfortable win.

READ MORE: Celtic 0 Hearts 2 | Instant analysis: Set-piece threat, showing steel and punching up

Coming off the back of a victory in the Champions League, Brendan Rodgers' men were meant to bounce back from last weekend's loss at Kilmarnock. Hearts, having recently put four wins together in the league, were meant to lose for the third consecutive outing. It would have been a struggle to fill a Fiat500 with Hearts fans who had belief that the team could go there and get a result. Steven Naismith behind the wheel but it was unlikely he would have too many, if any, passengers along for the drive.

The sanity of those who did make the journey along the M8 was questioned by fellow supporters. 'As long as we don't get beat 6,7, 8-0...' may well have been the mantra. Even 15 minutes before kick-off you would have been lucky to count 250 away fans but it quickly filled up even if it was still much fewer than the club would normally take to away grounds due to a number of factors, many of which supporters know about from previous Celtic Park experiences, from the general treatment to the view of the pitch.

Yet, what transpired...

There is time to look at the bigger picture, what this means for Steven Naismith and why it is vital the team use this statement victory as a platform to go and beat St Mirren before the Edinburgh derby. Now is not that time. Not yet. After 5,162 days Hearts had finally won a game at Celtic Park. After 6,075 (SIX THOUSAND AND SEVENTY FIVE) days, Hearts had finally won a league fixture at Celtic Park.

This is a moment to be savoured and enjoyed.

Now, Celtic fans will, naturally, look inwards and tell you that Hearts didn't have to do anything special to win. That Celtic defeated themselves. Don't let any discourse or narrative around any Celtic turmoil take away from what was a calculated, assertive and professional job from Naismith's men.

Few Hearts teams have settled as well as the one on Saturday afternoon. The only thing missing from the first 10 minutes was a goal with the game played in the home side's half. You want to take advantage of any superiority but equally you don't want to score too early. Five minutes later Hearts, deservedly, went ahead. 

Oh, oh. Time to spend the rest of the afternoon looking at the clock on the scoreboard watching the time tick away as if on 0.25 speed. 

The onslaught, the 10 men behind the ball, the camped on the edge of the box didn't materialise. Celtic probed but Hearts pushed back. They had started with a confidence and the goal only helped the team grow. Alex Cochrane and Nathaniel Atkinson set the tone with how they stood up to Mikey Johnston and Luis Palma respectively. The away side showed the hosts down the flanks knowing those wing-backs would play aggressively. Everyone between Atkinson and Cochrane did their job. Aidan Denholm and Jorge Grant scurried, harried and harassed out of possession while, importantly, they supported Lawrence Shankland and Alan Forrest in it. The back three? Faultless. Beni Baningime showing exactly why he is deserving of a new deal.

That was the foundation for Hearts to succeed.

By the 30 minute mark it was 2-0. Remarkable? Somewhat. Deserved? Absolutely.

Stephen Kinglsey sent a free-kick past Joe Hart. The Englishman must have felt as if he was back at Hampden Park facing Leigh Griffiths. All the better it arrived via a "soft free-kick" to quote the Celtic commentary team. 

The last time Celtic found themselves 2-0 down within the first half hour at home in the top-flight was nearly 19 years ago against Aberdeen (a stat courtesy of the man behind SPLStats). The Dons would lose 3-2. Not knowing that at the time, but standing in the away end, it was something you couldn't escape. Still looking at the clock, 'just get to half-time', knowing it would probably still finish 3-2. Partly because of the experiences of Hibs, Rangers and Aberdeen this season but also because of the fatalism of a football fan. Especially having not experienced a win at Parkhead since before 4G was launched.

Yet, the 15 minutes break was telling in itself. Santa was introduced to spread some festive cheer and goodwill. It was less Ho-Ho-Ho and more Boo-Boo-Boo. Celtic fans weren't in the mood. The present-wielding bearded fella was booed onto the pitch. The feeling and noise which Hearts had sapped out of them was truly reserved for Mikey Johnston. The cheers which greeted his substitution at half-time were louder than some goals.

READ MORE: Steven Naismith outlines areas of Hearts display that impressed him in Celtic win

Still, there were 45 minutes (plus stoppage time) to go. As soon as Kevin Clancy blew his whistle it was as much about clockwatching as it was watching what was happening on the pitch.

'Now is the time to break the second half into blocks, just get to the hour mark'.

Usually it would be a case of surviving. Forget about thriving. Just stay alive. There was a brief Celtic flurry after the interval but from the vantage point of the away end, Hearts fans were able to feel that something wasn't quite right with the home support. A similar feeling to before the 2006 Scottish Cup semi-final against Hibs. There was a feeling amongst those that travelled. 'Hold on, why am I not nervous? I know I am meant to be. But I'm not'. That only added to the stress.

Celtic Park emptied with Zander Clark a bystander, other than clutching crosses or watching them drift out for a goal kick. Those that stayed couldn't care less about Hearts and what was happening on the pitch, other than ironically cheering when Joe Hart decided to catch the ball. They directed their anger towards Peter Lawwell and the Celtic board. 

Not only were Hearts winning 2-0 at Celtic Park with a well-drilled and confident team performance but they could partake in some of the finest schadenfreude available to man knowing, as Rodgers said, Celtic could play all night and not score.

That was key. Hearts posed little threat to Hart's goal in the second half but it's because the work was done in the first half. There was an element of the team, in a big game, proving they could hold onto a lead. No matter the changes to personnel, every substitute contributed to an excellent team performance. A performance which ticked all the boxes for success at the Old Firm. A performance and result that was 6,075 days in the making.

And it resulted in the perfect storm. Celtic in disarray and Hearts, with the most comfortable of showings, back to where they belong in third. It was a game, result and day to be savoured, even if those in the away end, and following along at home, couldn't believe what they were witnessing.