Celtic stormed back from a goal behind to beat Hearts 2-1 at Tynecastle today and restore their lead at the top of the Bank of Scotland Premier League to 17 points.

Hearts midfielder Saulius Mikoliunas fired his side into a first-half lead with a spectacular drive from 30 yards but 14 minutes after the break Celtic striker Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink equalised from close range.

And just nine minutes from time Jiri Jarosik's powerful drive from the edge of the box gave the Bhoys three points that had looked unlikely at the interval.

Once again the champions showed their resilience to win while not playing at their best and the victory would have been all the sweeter for Celtic stand-in skipper Steven Pressley , who returned to Tynecastle for the first time since joining the Parkhead side in the transfer window.

After the game Pressley said: "I thoroughly enjoyed the occasion. I got a very warm welcome from the Hearts and Celtic supporters.

"It's always a difficult place to come to, Tynecastle, and I thought we showed superb character in terms of going behind to a fantastic goal by Saulius. We show great spirit, which is the reason why the club is so successful."

Pressley produced a man-of-the-match performance in the heart of the Celtic defence but he claimed lack of match sharpness meant he was not back to his best.

He added: "It's improving game by game but there is still a bit to go yet. You've still to see the best of Steven Pressley."