Blair Spital was the hero for Hearts with his 86th-minute winning goal as the Scottish Premiership leaders came from behind to beat nine-a-side Hibernian 2-1 in the Edinburgh derby. It was a day of drama in the final stages of the title battle.
Spittal came off the bench and scored from inside the box. Hibernian’s indiscipline was a huge blow as goalkeeper Rafael Sullinger and defender Felix Passlack were both sent off.
The win leaves Hearts three points behind second-placed Celtic and four points ahead of third-placed Rangers.
It was a fierce derby from the beginning. News of Rangers’ late defeat to Motherwell filtered through to a high-spirited Hearts side, with many claiming this was a huge chance for the Jam Tarts to take a big step towards the Scottish Premiership title.
But the Hibs jockey, who won the last Derby at Easter Road in December and whose fans are desperate to stop Hearts at all costs, had other ideas with an initially spirited performance.
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Sean Boyle gives Hibernian an early lead against Hearts.
First, Derby Day specialist Martin Boyle latched onto Jamie McGrath’s dangerous free-kick after seven minutes and finished from close range for Hibs.
Easter Road looked good, but Hibs’ game plan fell apart after seven minutes. Goalkeeper Sullinger picked up a long ball forward under pressure, but VAR revealed he played the ball out of the box. Referee Don Robertson brandished a red card after going to look at the monitor.
It’s hard enough to maintain a lead against the league leaders with 10 players. Hibs proved that as Claudio Braga missed two big chances to equalize in the first half. But what about the nine men? It’s virtually impossible.
That became reality when Paslak was given his marching orders for the high challenge of Beni Baningime. Referee Robertson gave him a second yellow, but he could have gotten another red.
Hearts increased the pressure as Mark Leonard crashed against the bar, but wave after wave of attacks put little pressure on reserve goalkeeper Jordan Smith.
But Hearts got the goal they deserved possession when Lawrence Shankland’s near post flick was deflected into their own net by Warren O’Hora. There were some disappointing moments in a defiant defence.
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Hearts make it 1-1 in the derby against Hibs when Warren O’Hora slots the ball into his own net.
Despite having a two-man advantage, Hearts were unable to put any more pressure on Hibs’ goal after the tie.
However, after some good work from Saba Kerjota on the right, Spital snatched all three points with a goal into the bottom corner with just a few minutes remaining.
Blair Spital scored the winning goal in the 86th minute.
The win leaves Hearts three points behind Celtic and four points ahead of Rangers. Hearts’ next game is next weekend, with four games remaining ahead of their exciting clash with Rangers, which will be broadcast live on Sky Sports on May 4.
Monday, May 4th 5pm
5:30pm kickoff
“We want to do that,” full-time captain Shankland told Sky Sports. “We’re close enough. We’ve worked hard to get this far and it’s important we try to finish.”
Hibs, who remain fifth, will be hoping the Glasgow side fail to prevent Hearts from winning the title.
Highlight: Hibs’ two red cards
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Felix Passlack received a second yellow in the derby against Hearts, leaving Hibernian with nine men.
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Hibernian keeper Rafael Sullinger was sent off for a deliberate handball outside the area, denying him an opportunity to score.
Mr McInnes: Spital attack could be very important
Hearts head coach Derek McInnes said on Sky Sports:
“We stayed calm and stayed disciplined. When you need someone, the captain does it again. You need a winner then and Blair Spital scores goals like that every day. A great side-footed finish and this could be a very important goal.”
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Hearts manager Derek McInnes has spoken out about Derby Day’s “unusual” win over Hibernian and urged his players to focus on their performance in the race for the Scottish Premiership title.
“To win a derby, you have to do a lot of things right. The game was a bit unusual, but I thought we almost deserved the win.”
“Anyone who says they’re not interested in what the other players are doing is lying. I always watched the game and for us, the way the kick-off went today, we had to focus solely on Hearts.”
“We said that given how the league played out this season, it was unlikely that one team would win all five games. We thought that if we could build momentum and get off to a good start in the first split game, we would be ready for the next game.”
“Just because we won this time doesn’t mean the next game will be easier, but I don’t think it will hurt us mentally. But we still have to perform. No one is giving it to us. Don’t depend on anyone else. Everything depends on us.”
Boyd: McInnes deserves a lot of credit.
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Kris Boyd talks about the Scottish Premiership mix-up after Hearts beat derby rivals Hibs and Rangers dropped points at Motherwell.
Sky Sports’ Chris Boyd at Easter Road:
“Hearts have been in the top flight for a long time and they have total trust in the manager.
“The fans are always going to be there and they just want a team that goes out and represents them and that’s what happened this season.
“There are people who have doubts about Derek McInnes, there are people who have doubts about the way he thinks and how he does things, but if you ask the Hearts players who they would like to have as manager, it would be Derek McInnes.
“A lot of credit goes to Tony Bloom and the Jamestown analysis, and rightfully so, but you still need someone with complete belief and complete control of the dressing room because it can be lost.
“The team seems to be coming together. We need players coming off the bench who want to make an impact, not just in the game they’re in, but in winning the next week.”
Gray reacts to pain of double red card
Hibernian’s Felix Passlak and Hearts’ Stephen Kingsley clash during the Edinburgh derby at Easter Road
Hibernian head coach David Gray:
“In my opinion, we outplayed ourselves in the last two games. The nine guys who were on the pitch from the 48th minute gave their best, but to be honest, we didn’t deserve it. We defended the box incredibly, thanks to how hard they worked.”
“These guys haven’t played a lot, but our goalie (Smith) comes in and makes the big saves that we need. When you’re down to nine guys, you’ve got to get your goalie to make saves. You’ve got to try a little bit of luck and ride a little bit of luck.”
“And if you look at the goals we conceded, which makes it even more difficult to get, the first goal was a deflection and an own goal.
“Unfortunately, I think both decisions (red cards) were correct. I think they were just mistakes. Nothing but mistakes.
“The goalkeeper makes a decision rather than clearing for touch and then clearly takes a wrong turn. He’s slightly outside the box, but he does.”
Hibernian’s Felix Passlack fouls Hearts’ Beni Baningim and is given a second yellow and red card.
“And then the second one from Felix. It was a mistake in the middle of the pitch and I tried to make up for it and tried to overdo it and got the second yellow card. For me it’s clear. That’s what cost us the game.”
