How Kelechi Iheanacho's goal sends Premiership race to the wire

Kelechi Iheanacho’s controversial penalty kept Celtic’s Scottish Premiership title hopes alive in the most dramatic fashion imaginable, securing a breathless 3-2 victory over Motherwell at Fir Park.

With league leaders Hearts comfortably defeating Falkirk 3-0 earlier, anything less than a victory would have severely jeopardised Celtic's championship defence.

Hence, Iheanacho’s nerves of steel averted a mathematical nightmare, setting up a winner-takes-all showdown against Hearts at Celtic Park this Saturday.

Iheanacho's late strike drastically alters the complexion of Saturday's title decider. Had he missed the penalty and the match ended in a 2-2 draw, Celtic would have faced a massive uphill battle.

Here is the exact math of what a draw would have meant:

• Hearts: 80 Points | +35 Goal Difference

• Celtic: 77 Points | +29 Goal Difference

In this scenario, Celtic would have only needed to win by three goals against Hearts, the best defence in the division, in the final match day. A 3-0 win would tie both teams at a +32 goal difference, allowing Celtic to snatch the title via the "Goals Scored" tiebreaker.

Fortunately for the reigning champions, they no longer have to worry about complex goal difference math. Because Iheanacho confidently dispatched his penalty, Celtic successfully claimed all three points. They now sit on 79 points, just one point behind Hearts.

• Hearts: 80 Points | +35 Goal Difference

• Celtic: 79 Points | +30 Goal Difference

Consequently, the objective for this weekend is incredibly simple: Celtic simply needs to win by any margin at Celtic Park to be crowned Scottish Premiership champions. A draw or a loss will see Hearts lift their first league title since 1960.