If this keeps up, there will be a shortage of heart rate monitors among the maroon-clad supporters from Edinburgh.
Every Hearts match is now a heart-racing spectacle. Every tackle, header, and kick becomes a moment that sets pulses racing. And every controversial call sparks an explosion of emotion—and that’s exactly what happened in this frantic clash at Motherwell.
When Alexandros Kyziridis went down under a challenge from Tawanda Maswanhise in the 68th minute, it seemed Hearts had a chance to make it 2-1 from the penalty spot. Referee Steven McLean waved it off, and VAR official Greg Aitken called for a review. But after Aitken sent McLean to the monitor, the referee stood firm, denying the spot kick.
“He was impeded,” Hearts manager Derek McInnes said afterward. “It’s a really poor decision. I don’t understand why it’s not a penalty.”
Unsurprisingly, Motherwell boss Jens Berthel Askou disagreed. “Not enough in it,” he said. “There was contact, but it was minimal. Kyziridis made it look worse than it was.”
People see what they want to see, but the season is building toward a dramatic finish. A historically brilliant campaign looks set to go down to the wire.
Good point or bad? Time will tell.
Hearts remained unbeaten and unbowed, but they paid a price. Two points dropped and two players sidelined. Marc Leonard and key defender Craig Halkett were forced off with injuries, ending their season two games early.
At the final whistle, the players went over to thank their fans, who had roared passionately throughout, even as the draw was confirmed. Their throats probably needed soothing nectar last night. Their minds? Scrambled. They’ll try to convince themselves that a point at Fir Park isn’t bad, especially with Celtic visiting there on Wednesday. Whether that point is good or bad—only next week will reveal the truth.
Those injuries, however, are more obstacles for Hearts. McInnes has other centre-backs, but there’s no replacement for Halkett. He can bring in Cammy Devlin for Leonard, but Devlin is only just returning from his own injury.
No one said this would be easy. Almost everyone thought Hearts couldn’t sustain the pace, but they’re still in the race, still believing.
In a season full of wondrous unpredictability, there’s been a familiar pattern to Hearts’ performances: three games ago, they went a goal down against Motherwell and won; two games ago, they went a goal down against Hibs and won; last game, they went a goal down against Rangers and won.
And on Saturday, they went a goal down to Motherwell again—a Motherwell that knows all about Hearts’ resilience and never-say-die attitude. They learned it the hard way, way back in the third game of the season, when people were still laughing at Tony Bloom’s predictions about Hearts splitting the Old Firm and winning the Premiership within a decade.
Remember that game? Motherwell were 3-0 up and ended up hanging on for a draw.
That’s what Hearts do. They stay calm even when outplayed, as they were for much of the first half here, or out-fought, as they were in the opening half against Rangers on Monday.
So when Motherwell went ahead on Saturday, it was familiar territory—not where they wanted to be, but where they’ve been so often. They were second best, but with Lawrence Shankland in your ranks, you have hope. Hearts have lost five league games this season, and Shankland has only played in one of them—and he scored in that one.
A left-footed finish to beat Rangers on Monday, and a right-footed finish that earned this point at Motherwell—an emphatic close-range strike whose importance is yet to be determined.
