League Cup: Hearts come from behind to beat Arbroath

Three goals inside four minutes saw Hearts come from behind to progress to the second round of the Scottish League Cup at Arbroath's expense.

The League Two outfit took the lead in an entertaining tie at Tynecastle through David Gold's first-half strike.

Jordan McGhee pulled one back before an Osman Sow double, including a penalty, saw Hearts take control.

Martin Grehan pulled one back late on but the two-goal lead was restored through a Craig Wilson own goal.

Hearts were initially sluggish and their play ponderous. That was exacerbated by the work rate and endeavour of Arbroath, who refused to be timid opponents.

The Edinburgh side's attacks in the opening half tended to lack penetration, although Sam Nicholson would have scored if he'd made cleaner contact after being played through by Alim Ozturk. Instead, his bundled shot bounced wide.

The mood at Tynecastle was subdued - apart from a small but boisterous group of away fans - and Abroath must have sensed that an opportunity lay in the lack of edge to the contest.

They certainly mustered their own sprightliness as Sergio Alvarez cleverly smuggled the ball through to Gold, who calmly shot beyond the Hearts goalkeeper Jack Hamilton.

The home side were roused by the setback. Calum Paterson headed against the face of the crossbar from a corner just before half-time, then Ozturk's shot from the rebound was blocked.

The League Cup tie at Tynecastle yielded six goals

The interval provided a chance for the home side to regroup, but urgency was initially missing from their play after the break.

That was almost calamitous, since McGhee and Ozturk - a partnership that had shaky moments throughout - misjudged a free-kick allowing the ball to drop to Lewis Coult, who wastefully shot wide.

The centre-backs redeemed themselves by combining for the equaliser when McGhee slid in to convert Ozturk's near-post cross.

Moments later, Nicholson jinked into the penalty area and Sow converted his cutback. When Nicholson next ran into the box, he created enough anxiety to draw a foul from Craig Wilson, with Sow converting the penalty.

Hearts had found their authority, but complacency was still capable of undermining them. Hamilton had to be agile and alert to push Bobby Linn's free-kick onto the post; Gold should have converted the rebound instead of lifting the ball over from close range.

Grehan's far-post finish from a deep cross came too late to launch a comeback, and Hearts' ended the game with a final attack that caused Wilson to bundle the ball past his own goalkeeper.

Hearts head coach Robbie Neilson: "We were disappointed; the first half was not acceptable. I think the players thought they were going to cruise to a result, but it was a bit of a wake-up call for all of us.

"We need to do far better than we did. I thought we passed the ball for the first 10 minutes then went flat. I think they viewed it as a pre-season game but when St Johnstone come it will be a completely different ball game."