Heart of Midlothian 2-0 Motherwell: Steven Naismith's side 14 clear in third place
- Published
Lawrence Shankland heads home Hearts' goal
Hearts moved 14 points clear in third place in the Scottish Premiership after second-half goals by Kenneth Vargas and Lawrence Shankland overcame Motherwell.
The visitors had come closest to scoring in the first half, Lennon Miller shooting wide after Harry Paton's perfect pass, and Hearts took advantage after the break.
Shankland netted his 18th goal of the season, rising high above the Motherwell defence to meet an Alan Forrest free kick and bullet past Liam Kelly.
And Vargas finished it off, with a neat stoppage-time turn and shot low past Kelly to guarantee victory.
A tightly-contested first half was low on opportunities but high on end-to-end passing play, as Hearts looked to exploit the flanks and Motherwell looked for space through the middle.
Dan Casey, making his first Motherwell appearance this year, took advantage of a misplaced clearance to burst forward and try his luck, and his audacious lob from well outside the box had Zander Clark scrambling back to tip it over.
Hearts continued to press down the flanks, but struggled to create openings for Shankland, who earned a yellow card for an attempt to take the ball which took Motherwell's Jack Vale with it.
Miller had the best opportunity to break the deadlock. Neat interplay in the Motherwell midfield saw Paton deliver a perfect pass, but the teenager contrived to slide his shot past the near post.
A knock to Beni Baningime caused Hearts to reshuffle at half-time, switching to a back four as he and Lembikisa made way for Nathanial Atkinson and Vargas.
And while Motherwell started the second period brightly, flashing the ball across the face of Clark's goal, it was Hearts who eventually broke through.
Alan Forrest's floated free kick from the right was met by a rising Shankland, who powered his header down low past Kelly.
The goal gave Hearts a new sense of impetus, and they continued to press forward, Atkinson and substitute Yutaro Oda combining well to open up the Motherwell defence.
Vargas wrapped up the three points with a low turn and shot, collecting a weighted ball across the Motherwell penalty box to cement Hearts' third place.
Player of the match - Alan Forrest (Hearts)
The winger's came more into the game after the formation shift, and his second half deliveries changed the match in Hearts' favour.
Cutting edge the difference between third and ninth - analysis
Hearts may have boasted much more possession, but really it was the ability to find the net that was the primary difference between the sides.
Motherwell's blistering start to the second half failed to reap dividends, while Miller's miss - which would have put the visitors ahead late in the first half - compared to Shankland's thumping header showcased it perfectly.
The shift away from a back three opened up Hearts' passing channels more, and allowed Forrest, Atkinson and Oda much more space to exploit a clearly tiring Motherwell as the second half went on.
Stuart Kettlewell may be frustrated by the refereeing but ultimately it was a lack of firepower which did for his team.
What they said
Hearts manager Steven Naismith: "I thought we showed our quality in both boxes and in possession in the first half.
"We had loads of control but if we are going to play with a back three we need to gamble a bit more."
Motherwell manager Stuart Kettlewell: "From my side of it, I'm absolutely fizzing again.
"The first goal that we conceded - the top striker in the league, the best number 9, gets the freedom of our penalty box and that's unacceptable."
What's next?
A tasty trip to face Rangers at Ibrox next Saturday for Hearts (15:00 GMT), while Motherwell play host to the other half of the Old Firm next Sunday (12:00).