Hearts and Aberdeen were both seeking a confidence-boosting result before kick-off at Tynecastle as they were both in the bottom half of the cinch Premiership, and it was the Jambos who were smiles better after the final whistle.
The 2-0 defeat increases pressure on Aberdeen boss Barry Robson and eases it on his Hearts counterpart Steven Naismith whose men opened their account thanks to a strike from Yutaro Oda with the aid of a deflection after 14 first-half minutes and Liam Boyce (pictured) added a second from the right after 64 minutes, his first goal for over a year.
The Northern Irishman last found the net in August 2022 and he spent almost the whole of last season sidelined through injury. The strike will undoubtedly be a massive lift for the player.
Hearts had other chances, one from Kenneth Vargas who fizzed a shot just wide in the second-half. Aberdeen started brightly before another full-house at Tynecastle, but the home side gradually took control.
That’s despite a reshuffle with Oda coming off and Alan Forrest taking his place, but as the clock ticked on, the Men and Marooon dominated and Robson’s tactical switch to 4-3-3 to match Hearts failed to spark his men.
Naismith has urged his players to close down and work hard and they did with Aberdeen offering little in the way of creativity according to Dons legend Willie Miller who was reporting on the game for BBC Sport Scotland.
Cammy Devlin came close late-on and the three points stayed in Edinburgh which will provide a much-needed tonic for the Hearts coaching team and the fans. The defeat extended Aberdeen’s winless start to the domestic campaign.
The men from the Granite City are second bottom and have only won two of their last 13 games since Robson was appointed head coach after stepping up from interim head coach last season. Hearts move up to fifth in the table.
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