Lawrence Shankland hovered with the ball under his arm as VAR reviewed an incident late in the game against an accomplished Motherwell outfit. The clock ticked and, finally, referee Matthew Macdermid pointed to the spot.
All 18,000-plus eyes were on the Scotland striker as he placed the ball. He stepped back and took a deep breath. This was arguably the most important, and certainly one of the most pressurised, kick of the season for the success-hungry Edinburgh side.
A shuffle, five short steps and Shankland’s right foot deposited the ball low into the net via the post. He had held his nerve at a crucial time. The home fans loved it. Cue huge celebrations around Tynecastle with three minutes remaining of normal time.
Five minutes later and Beni Baningime sent Landry Kabore away down the left with a superb ball. The striker, who has been on form for his international side and scored in a 5-0 win over Guinea-Bissau in midweek, squared-up to Stephen Welsh, then drove for goal before drifting to his left before firing with his left foot. Goalkeeper Calum Ward failed to prevent the ball ending up behind him and in the net. Time 92 minutes.
Cue more celebrations and the chant of “we shall not be moved”. Kabore found the net again before the final whistle, but the effort was ruled off for offside and Hearts held out through six nervy minutes until the final whistle.
The result means that the Men in Maroon finished the regular season before the split on top of the William Hill Premiership with 70 points and ahead of the Old Firm, Rangers and Celtic. The 3-1 victory also extended Hearts’ impressive unbeaten home run this term.
Earlier, that seemed in real jeopardy after slick Motherwell, who had failed to win any of their last four matches, shocked Tynecastle by taking the lead through Emmannuel Longelo, finishing off a sweeping move involving the impressive Tawanda Maswanhise which sliced open the home defence.
The scorer plus the elusive Elijah Just and Maswanhise both failed to find the target when in excellent positions during a torrid spell for the title-chasing Jambos.
Indeed, Maswanhise, one of the stand-out players in the William Hill Premiership this season, showed his class when he left two defenders in his wake before sending the ball inches wide of Alexander Schwolow’s right-hand post. He did the hard part before another superb chance was squandered.
Claudio Braga it was who sparked Hearts’ comeback when a corner from the left from ex-Motherwer midfielder, Blair Spittal, found Stuart Findlay at the back post. He nodded the ball into the danger area and the Portugal-born forward sent an overhead kick into the net through a crowded area. VAR was called in for a ruling on a possible offside but the goal counted. Relief for home fans and frustration for the Well supporters in one corner of the Roseburn Stand.
There was further frustration for visiting supporters when VAR officials noted that Welsh’s boot had connected with Kabore’s head deep inside the penalty box as the centre-back attempted to clear and Shankland took centre stage with his penalty.
Motherwell manager, Jens Berthel Askou, rued those missed chances. He agreed that Hearts had their moments, especially from set plays, but added: “First half a little bit shaky at times and we kept our calm and to keep playing.”
He said the Fir Park combine started to find solutions to the opposition press and, when they found that, he felt his men took control. He said: “We did everything we could to try and win the game but we had to take our moments and that is the most disappointing thing.”
His counterpart, Derek McInnes, admitted that Hearts managed to overcome a good team by digging deep. He conceded that when they went behind the Jambos had work to do, and added: “I thought we edged a really tight game.
“They are a good side, Motherwell, and I thought we restricted them to a couple of shots from distance in the first-half. We put a bit of stress on the goalkeeper and the back and we just needed to try and make more of the pressure, show more quality in those moments.
“I thought we just about shaded the first-half but Motherwell, with the players they have got and the speed they have got, they always keep you honest. Those front four – Longelo, Maswanhise, Said, Just – if they get facing your goal and they have a chance they bring anxiety and none more so than the first goal they score.”
He added: “We rode our luck a bit and Maswanhise had a big chance the way he manipulates the ball and was just untidy with the finish which helps us. There are no two ways about it, we were under the cosh, but I still felt quite calm.
“Thankfully, Braga comes up with a big moment and nobody was settling for a draw, neither were Motherwell. It was a very good game and there was a lot of drama.”
THANKS: Lawrence Shankland thanks fans after the 3-1 success over Motherwell. Picture Nigel Duncan
