Lawrence Shankland won possession near the Falkirk penalty box and lashed a right-foot shot home low to record his 163rd goal in the Scottish Professional Football League era, a record.
The strike after 41 minutes took him ahead of Rory McAllister at the top of the scoring charts and also helped move the Jambos two points clear at the summit of the William Hill Premiership.
Their 3-0 win over newly-promoted Falkirk came courtesy of a dominant performance and Derek McInnes, Hearts head coach, said that this was the type of performance he is hoping for, and the demanding boss wants to see an action replay more often.
McInnes also praised record-breaking Shankland who has been a consistent performer for the club since his arrival.
The head coach said in his programme notes that his men showed a tremendous attitude and belief in earning three points at Ibrox, and that the Jambos deserved to win.
He urged his men to move on and build on that result, and they did in emphatic style to the delight of most of the 18,919 fans.
This was the first time the home support had seen their favourites in a competitive match in Gorgie in five weeks, and they loved it.
Greek winger Alexandros Kyziridis started the ball rolling with a sensational strike after 22 minutes. He lit up Tynecastle when he spun free from a Falkirk defender, dodged another on a darting run from the left before looking up and picking his spot.
The ball was caressed into the far corner with pin-point precision. The fans loved it. Scott Bain, Falkirk’s impressive goalkeeper, made a brave attempt, but this ball was destined to bulge the rigging and it did.
Defender Craig Halkett completed the scoring three minutes after the break, his third of the season, with a diving header after peeling off his marker in traffic from a Kyziridis corner on the left, sealing a well-deserved win.
Earlier, Falkirk arrived in Gorgie following a victory at Pittodrie, their first league win of the season, a narrow 2-1 reverse at home to St Mirren and a 2-2 home draw with Hibs in midweek.
It’s been over ten years since The Bairns have visited Tynecastle and they will not want to return in a hurry if Hearts maintain this form.
The match was preceded by a one minute applause for former Hearts player Jimmy Bone who passed away recently, and it is fair to say that the home side could have had more goals.
Claudio Braga, a constant threat, was denied on at least two occasions, Kyziridis on another and Shankland also forced Bain to show his class on at least one other occasion.
John McGlynn, Falkirk’s manager, felt his men were heavy-legged after their draw with Hibs on Tuesday, but he added: “The boys kept on going, they kept working, we tried things.”
They did, but Hearts in this mood are a difficult animal to subdue.
Now, the Tynecastle team face Hibs next Saturday (kick-off 17.45), and the Easter Road club have been boosted by a no-score draw at Celtic, a confidence-boosting result.
Hearts: Schwolow, Kingsley, Halkett, Baningime, Shankland, Braga, Devlin, Milne, Findlay, McEntee, Kyziridis. Substitutes: Clark, McCart, Kabangu, Steinwender, Spittal, Forrest, Wilson, Magnusson, Kerjota.
Falkirk: Bain, Adams, McCann, Henderson, Spencer, MacIver, Cartwright, Tait, Williams, Lissah, Miller. Substitutes: Hogarth, Lang, Graham, Agyeman, Oliver, Allan, Arfield, Hart, Samuel-Ogunsuyi
Referee: Lloyd Wilson
