AFTER 37 games, the Scottish Premiership title race will come down to a straight shootout between Hearts and Celtic on Saturday afternoon for title glory.

Here is our bluffers guide to how we got here and the permutations for the weekend.

Season of the underdog?

When businessman Tony Bloom injected some cash into Hearts last summer, he boldly stated in August that the Edinburgh side could split Glasgow's big two Celtic and Rangers.

It was a bold statement. Hearts have not been champions since 1960. 1985 was the last the time the Scottish league title was lifted by a side other than Rangers or Celtic, when Alex Ferguson's Aberdeen finished top.

Backed by Bloom's Jamestown Analytics data-driven model of signing players and under the guidance of the shrewd Derek McInnes, Hearts started the season well and have actually been top of the league since September. Hearts haven't blown anyone away in terms of goalscoring but they have earned plaudits for being dogged, stubborn and hard to beat.

What about Celtic?

For perennial champions Celtic, it has been a season of turmoil like no other both on and off the pitch.

On the pitch, their well-known free-flowing football has simply not been there and much-needed signings to inject freshness and quality to the team were not delivered.

The Brendan Rodgers reign ended in October. In stepped Martin O'Neill some 20 years on from his last time in the dugout, who steadied the ship. A permanent appointment came in early December with the unknown Wilfried Nancy who oversaw just one win, four league defeats, a Europa League loss and a League Cup final loss in a spell that lasted just 33 days, he became the shortest-tenured manager in Celtic's history.

Add to that, fan unrest with the Celtic board; the Celtic die-hard supporters known as the Green Brigade being banned from Celtic Park for much of the season; and a January transfer market when not one penny was spent, relying on free transfers and loans.

After Nancy was shown the door, back came Martin O'Neill again, who once again steadied the ship. Somehow, even impossibly in his own words, he has guided Celtic to within a point of leaders Hearts.

After a 2-0 defeat to Dundee United, their title challenge looked over. Six wins later and Celtic are on the brink of glory.

What about Rangers?

If Celtic's season has had its low points, then hold my beer Rangers. Backed by a new consortium associated with the San Francisco 49ers NFL franchise with signings to the tune of £40 million that just simply haven't delivered. The hapless Russell Martin never seemed to win over the Ibrox faithful and a series of consecutive draws at the start of the season paved his way to the exit door.

In stepped German Danny Rohl to try and steady the ship. Rangers have scored more goals than Hearts and Celtic this season but defensive issues have remained throughout. Rangers managed to remain within striking distance of Hearts and Celtic when the league split arrived.

Damaging defeats at home to Motherwell, away to Hearts and last Sunday to bitter rivals Celtic ended their title hopes pretty swiftly. Many Gers fans are calling for heads to Rohl this summer.

What happened on Wednesday night?

The penultimate matchday 37 last night saw Hearts with a one-point lead at the top of the table.

At Tynecastle, a raucous home support guided the Jam Tarts to a 3-0 win over Falkirk –  job done.

Over at Fir Park, Motherwell, who many regard as the best footballing team in the league, were giving Celtic all sorts of problems and took a deserved 1-0 lead. A defeat for Celtic and it was game over – Hearts would be champions come 10pm.

A battling Celtic recovered to lead 2-1 in the second half before yet more sustained Motherwell pressure brought an equaliser with 85 minutes on the clock.

As it stood, Celtic would have needed to beat Hearts by three clear goals on Saturday due to the Jambos' superior goal difference in order to win the title.

A draw looked inevitable as the clock ticked deep into added time. Celtic launched one last throw into the box as Sam Nicholson of Motherwell and Celtic's Auston Trusty battled for the ball with around ten seconds of the four minutes added left.

Trusty went down. Was it an elbow? Another throw-in was given. Referee John Beaton was then told to delay the game by VAR. The incident was replayed to viewers on Sky Sports – it appeared VAR was instead checking for handball by Nicholson in the box as he went up in the air to challenge for the ball.

Beaton was sent to the monitor and after reviewing the footage pointed to the spot. An ice-cool penalty from Kelechi Iheanacho sent Celtic fans wild, sprawling onto the pitch in celebration with the full-time whistle blown amid the chaos.

Over at Tynecastle, the news filtered through. Hearts had won. Celtic had won too. Scenes of deflation as the Hearts players prepared for their traditional on-field lap of honour for the last home game of the season.

Was it a penalty?

The short answer is yes. In the immediate aftermath, pundits in the Sky Sports studio were convinced it was headed out by Nicholson due to a physics argument around the trajectory of the ball. 

Former Rangers man Kris Boyd argued that if it was handball, then the ball would drop in front of the Motherwell player and not travel the distance it did, going out of play for a throw-in.

That infuriated some Celtic fans so much that two fans went into the street and made a video showing the power and trajectory of a ball hitting the hand in a similar scenario and the ball travelling quite some distance. 

Others had their say. Hearts manager Derek McInnes described the penalty as "disgusting" in a post-match interview, while Motherwell manager Jen Berthel Askou said he was in "total shock" and said it was a "shame for the game".

Former England striker Gary Lineker said it "might be the worst VAR decision I've seen... extraordinary given the significance."

On Thursday morning, an image published by Alamy – a leading photo agency – seems to show the ball striking Nicholson's hand and not his head.

The arm is raised in an 'unnatural position' is what the rules say. Football has seen penalties time and time again for the same thing.

The debate rages on.

What are the permutations for Saturday?

After everything, it all comes down to the final fixture of the season and as we have known for a while, it is Celtic v Hearts at Celtic Park on Saturday lunchtime (kick-off 12.30pm).

For leaders Hearts, a win or draw will see the title come to Gorgie. For Celtic, only a win will do. It is that simple.

A 90-minute shootout. The eyes of the world will be on Glasgow on Saturday.

Celtic v Hearts is LIVE on Sky Sports Football on Saturday, with all the build-up from 11.30am.