Hamilton 0-0 Heart of Midlothian

Igor Rossi was red-carded for Hearts

A fiercely contested game at New Douglas Park saw Hamilton and Hearts share two red cards but no goals.

It was Hearts who were first reduced to 10 men when Igor Rossi was sent off just before half-time.

He saw red for a two-footed tackle, while another heavy foul saw Hamilton's Jesus Garcia Tena dismissed in the second-half.

Hamilton will have valued the point, though, with Hearts hitting the woodwork three times.

The game began as a test of Hamilton's character, since the players could still have been emotionally bruised by their 8-1 loss to Celtic in midweek.

There was a natural retreat into being briskly and forcefully competitive. Martin Canning sent his side out in a 3-4-3 shape, to ensure there was cover in defence against Hearts' front two, but formation was secondary to attitude.

Pressure was applied swiftly and vigorously to any Hearts player on the ball and the opening half seldom raised itself above a general level of scrappy endeavour. Darian MacKinnon and Mickey Devlin also clattered into a couple of strong challenges that left opponents grounded.

Hearts sought to be progressive, but tended to be constrained. Even so, Rossi hit the post with a header and when Callum Paterson pounced on the rebound his effort was saved by the Hamilton goalkeeper Michael McGovern.

Chances were rare, and Hearts' best moment quickly descended into their worst. Billy King was still wondering how McGovern reached out an arm to push away his half-volley when Rossi launched a two-footed tackle on Darren Lyon that sparked a furious response from the Hamilton players.

Once the melee subsided, the referee Bobby Madden sent Rossi off and booked some of the agitators. The referee was shrewd and decisive throughout, and handled an occasionally feisty game with a sure sense of control.

Hearts regrouped during the interval, while Hamilton tried to shift their mindset from containment to creativity. They were helped in that regard by the range of passing and imagination of Ali Crawford, who grew in influence.

Their best opportunity came when Tena's shot was blocked by Paterson, then Devlin's header was saved by the Hearts goalkeeper Neil Alexander.

Hearts were initially cautious, hoping to hit on the break, but even before Hamilton were reduced to 10 men the visitors had grown in stature. From Alim Ozturk's cross, Blazej Augustyn hit the crossbar with a firm header.

Although the niggly nature of the game had dissipated, a flashpoint was still possible. It came when Tena heavily fouled the impressive Arnaud Djoum, leading to a straight red card. As Hamilton tried to adapt, Jordan McGhee's header across goal was met by Dario Zanatta, but his header hit the bar.

For all their industry, Hamilton still needed a moment of resolve from McGovern, when the goalkeeper had to keep the final touch of the game - a Juanma stubbed shot - out at close-range.