A glory double from new singing Sander Kartum in only his second start for the club booked Hearts a visit to Hampden Park for a semi-final tie in the Scottish Cup, Scottish Cup, with Dundee forward Simon Murray’s own goal the other counter.
The Jambos bounced back from their Derby disappointment and led 1-0 through Kartum before Dundee levelled, but two second-half strikes booked the trip along the M8 to the National Stadium, a target for boss Neil Critchley.
Earlier, Critchley, Hearts’ head coach, made changes for the visit of Dundee, and it was the Tayside team who won the first corner after a minute.
The inswing effort was punched clear by Craig Gordon sparking a Hearts counter attack. The ball found Kenneth Vargas on the left and the Costa Rican forward cut in, beat a Dundee defender and flashed a right foot shot at the Dundee goal but it flew just wide.
Good work between James Penrice and Blair Spittal down the left had the visitors under pressure again but, at the other end, Lewis Neilson had to clear under pressure and then a cross from the right by Josh Mulligan forced Gordon to tip the ball over for a corner.
It floated over everybody, including the unmarked Jordan McGhee at the back post who had a clear sight of goal.
Then Simon Murray outmuscled young Hearts defender Adam Forrester, drove into the box and tested Gordon at the near post.
Sloppy defensive play by the Men in Maroon led to corner No 3 for Dundee but it was wasted until Vargas chopped down Aaron Donnelly on the left resulting in a free-kick, but the Dens Park side did not make the most of the opportunity.
Tony Docherty’s men pressed hard, keeping Hearts into their own half and forcing them to play around them, but the home side broke to earn their first corner on the left in front of the Roseburn Stand after 22 minutes.
Spittal’s corner was cleared by Dundee’s Northern Ireland-born goalkeeper Trevor Carson and the Jambos had to build again, forcing another corner from the left, but it was comfortably cleared as Hearts struggled to impose themselves.
They did after 27 minutes in spectacular fashion and it was Norwegian midfielder Sander Kartum who broke the deadlock. The 29-year-old opened his personal account for the Jambos with a quality, controlled strike from a central position on the edge of the box with his left foot from 25 yards following a throw in. Carson had no chance as the ball flew into the top right hand corner.
A flowing move followed sparked by a slick Vargas turn near half-way ended with Lawrence Shankland having his shot from the edge of the box blocked.
Instantly, the play switched to the other end and a mistake by Hearts’ defender Michael Steinwender provided another corner for the Dens men but it was wasted.
To the Roseburn End and Vargas had a chance after being slipped in by Shankland, but it was blocked. The ball fell to Shankland who chipped the goalkeeper with his right foot and the ball nestled in the net, but the strike was ruled out for offside.
This was not a classic but what a chance Oluwaseun Adewumi had in the one minute of injury time. He outsprinted the Jambos defence to pick up a hopeful lob and the Austrian midfielder flashed his shot against Gordon’s near post and into the stand. No wonder he looked disappointed and the score remained 1-0 for the Jambos.
No changes for the home side at the break, but Dundee introduced midfielder Mohamed Sylla in place of defender Jordan McGhee who started his career at Tynecastle.
A stramash in the Dundee box caused concern and then Vargas rolled the ball across the box to Kartum but on this occasion he failed to find the same corner, flashing the ball inches over the crossbar.
Dundee responded and Steinwender had to clear before Penrice sent the ball for a corner as the Dens Park side applied some pressure but Neilson rose to clear. Seconds later Dundee were level when a ball into the box found the head of Dens skipper Joe Shaughnessy who made no mistake with a powerful header from six yards. Time 50 minutes.
The Dundee fans were jubilant in the Roseburn Stand as their favourites won corner No 9. The ball was sent towards the far post but it had too much weight and went out of play.
Docherty’s men dominated this section of the play but Hearts broke and last man Sylla pulled down Vargas who would have been through on goal. The ball broke to Kabangu who sent his effort wide. Sylla was yellow carded much to the annoyance of home fans who demanded more.
Hearts upped the pressure and Sylla gave away a free kick just outside the box, but the ball was blocked for Hearts’ fourth corner which came to nothing. Shankland threatened as the game opened up, then Dundee broke and Neilson cleared.
At the other end, Elton Kabangu was floored and from Spittal’s free-kick Hearts regained the lead, the ball flicking the back of Dundee forward, Simon Murray’s, head and past Carson. Time 63 minutes.
Then four minutes later it was 3-1 thanks to neat turn from Kartum who was fed by Shankland and the Norwegian made ground before flicking the ball into Carson’s right-hand bottom corner for his second and Hearts’ third with the outside of his left foot. Another quality strike.
Dundee responded, forcing the Jambos back, and Scott Tiffoney came on. Calem Nieuwenhof was introduced by the home side to replace Vargas, and Penrice snuffed out always-dangerous Murray on the edge of the box. Spittal was also withdrawn for Alan Forrest (pictured by Ian Jacobs).
The former Livingston man sprinted down the left and fed Kabangu who failed to test Carson but he warmed the palms of the Dundee goalkeeper seconds later with a rasping effort and then Carson had to race from goal to deny the same player with his legs.
The Tayside team were living dangerously and Nieuwenhof was shown a yellow card for a tackle on Adewumi. Charlie Reilly replaced Cesar Garza for Dundee but it was Hearts who threatened next with Aussie substitute Nieuwenhof testing Carson at his near post with a left foot shot.
Kabangu and Kartum departed with Musa Drammeh and James Wilson coming on but the third goal certainly was a massive blow for Docherty’s side who had Carson to thank for stopping Forrest’s shot from the left.
Hearts then passed the ball around to eat up the clock. Reilly did have the ball in the net from a free-kick in the four minutes of added time following a foul by Penrice but the goal was ruled off because of offside.
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