Hearts 2-0 Motherwell: Robbie Neilson hails his side's unity after moving to league summit
- Published
Liam Boyce's early penalty was his tenth goal of the season
Hearts manager Robbie Neilson has praised his side's unity after they dispatched Motherwell to move top of the Scottish Premiership.
Liam Boyce slotted an early penalty before Stephen Kingsley curled in a fine free-kick to ensure the Tynecastle side maintained their unbeaten start.
The victory means Neilson's men are eight league games without defeat so far this term.
"The players are together, winning helps that," Neilson said.
"We've faced a lot of challenges so far, there's going to be more. We're sitting in a great position. After the international break we'll go to Ibrox ahead of them or just behind."
Both sides went into the game knowing one of them would top the table come full-time, but the visitors made an already difficult task a tougher one when Kelly needlessly tripped Boyce at a tight angle early on.
The Hearts striker picked himself back up to send Kelly the wrong way and notch his 10th of the season.
The visiting side failed to gain any control in the first half, as Neilson's men deservedly doubled their advantage just after the 20-minute mark when Kingsley guided a free-kick into the top-left corner.
The home side pressed for a third as Ben Woodburn had a strike from range tipped over by Kelly, but Gordon had to be on hand to ensure the hosts took their two-goal lead into the second half.
First, Tony Watt had an effort of his own from range tipped over by the Scotland keeper and the Hearts man got down well to Bevis Mugabi's header from the resulting corner.
Hearts were keen to put the game to bed early in the second half, as Cammy Devlin dragged a finish just passed the far post, before the midfielder went to ground under a slight nudge from Callum Slattery shortly after.
That gave Boyce the chance to add his second and Hearts' third, but his poor penalty was parried by Kelly.
Immediately at the other end, Kaiyne Woolery had a chance to reduce the lead to a single goal but was denied by a smart stop from Gordon.
Beni Baningime then called fellow Scotland keeper Kelly into a fine stop, while Motherwell still searched for a way back into the game.
Kevin van Veen had an audacious scissor kick drop wide, while Mark O'Hara's free-kick was saved. Captain Stephen O'Donnell drilled an effort wide of the near post, too.
The home side were well worth their win, but they needed their keeper to be in inspired form again as Gordon again was on hand once more to deny Ojala with a back-post header, ensuring his side kept a clean sheet along with their three points.
Man of the match - Cammy Devlin
The Hearts midfielder was fantastic in just his second start, registering more touches (81), successful passes (53) and interceptions (5) than anyone else on the pitch
What did we learn?
Neilson has Hearts looking like a well-oiled machine and the introduction of Devlin, who was outstanding in midfield alongside the impressive Baningime, has added to a squad that was already strong.
With John Souttar expected to return after the international break, the Tynecastle side will be back to full strength for their biggest test yet at Ibrox - a positive result in Govan will have Hearts fans dreaming.
Motherwell can take pride in their start to the season and their second-half display, but with a back-to-back fixtures at home to Celtic and a trip to Tannadice to come, Alexander will not want this result to spark a poor run in form.
What did they say?
Motherwell manager Graham Alexander: "Both teams committed to the game and wanted to win it. Second half we were the dominant team.
"I thought my players were excellent against a tough opponent at a tough venue. We understand it's not always going to go our way, but it's important we hold ourselves as a team."
What's next?
Following next weekend's international break, Motherwell welcome Celtic to Fir Park on 16 October (15:00 BST) while Hearts kick off at champions Rangers at the same time.
What's the worst that could happen? Possibly everything! The Goes Wrong Show is streaming now
The Office at 20: Ricky Gervais reveals behind-the-scenes facts and secrets of the comedy classic
