Hearts 4-2 Livingston: David Martindale's side close to drop after ceding two-goal lead
- Published
Jorge Grant's goal started a first-half comeback for Hearts
Livingston's faint hopes of Scottish Premiership survival were dealt another blow as rampant Hearts came from two goals down to win at Tynecastle.
Starting the day nine points adrift, Livingston stormed into a two-goal lead thanks to well-taken strikes from Stephen Kelly.
The midfielder calmly side-footed into the corner from distance when Hearts goalkeeper Craig Gordon raced out and left an open goal before driving in a second from the edge of the box.
But, in the space of just 22 first-half minutes, Hearts rattled in four goals without reply.
Jorge Grant turned in Lawrence Shankland's cross to start the comeback and then Yutaro Oda and Cammy Devlin also converted crosses from the left from close range.
To add insult to injury in stoppage-time, Mikey Devlin's headed backpass was easily picked off by Oda, who was brought down on his way to goal by goalkeeper Shamal George.
Shankland smashed in the penalty for his 28th goal of the season to make it 4-2 at the end of a breathless first half.
The Hearts captain also crashed a shot off the bar after the break as the frantic pace continued.
However, the home side did not need more goals to stay 11 points clear in third and guarantee at least fourth, which means European football returns to Tynecastle next term.
Livingston remain nine points adrift at the foot of the table with just five games left.
Player of the match - Jorge Grant (Hearts)
Lawrence Shankland was excellent again, but Jorge Grant's drive from midfield and influence in the final third gets him the award.
Defensive frailties shatter Livi as Hearts mark progress - analysis
This was a complete sickener for manager David Martindale and his Livingston side, who made the perfect start in their bid to close in on Ross County before their meeting with Rangers on Sunday.
But their defensive issues cost them dearly after they started ferociously and caught out sleepy Hearts.
Two of Hearts' goals were gifts, with Ayo Obileye completely missing a simple defensive header for the second and Devlin's awful backpass causing the penalty.
The fact three of them were Hearts players getting a free strike on goal from around the six-yard box will infuriate Martindale. But it's no surprise given Livingston have the worst defensive record in the league.
The fiery Livi boss will fight until relegation is confirmed, but it looks a case of when rather than if. Their frustration was summed up by striker Tete Yengi, who was shown a second yellow card for an angry reaction on the touchline when replaced.
Hearts, meanwhile, move on to 62 points, one more than they managed in the 2021-22 season, when they comfortably finished third, and there are still five games left.
That is a good benchmark of progress for Steven Naismith in his first full season as a manager.
Once they woke up, they played some slick stuff, helped by the craft of returning midfielder Barrie McKay, whose clever passing helped set up two of Hearts' goals.
Grant was also excellent and is another example of a player who Naismith seems to have improved through good coaching.
With third spot all but secured, all Hearts' attention goes to their Scottish Cup semi-final showdown with treble-chasing Rangers at Hampden next Sunday. A trophy for Hearts would turn a good season into a sensational one.
What they said
Hearts head coach Steven Naismith: "The two goals were a bit of a wake up call and we started finding that free player. I've spoken about being more ruthless. I just don't want us to be 2-0 down [first].
"It's the third time we've come from 2-0 down this season. That's a positive. I've been here a lot of times and it looks as if there's no hope of coming back in games like that. That's a big step forward."
Livingston manager David Martindale: "I think you saw the good and bad of Livingston this season.
"We started the game really well, really aggressive in the press. We forced them into mistakes and scored two cracking goals. Then you see the ugly side if I'm honest.
"It's been the downfall all season. They work two good goals, I'll give them two. You strip the game back and we've given them two goals."
What's next?
Hearts play in the second Scottish Cup semi-final against Rangers on Sunday (15:00 BST), while Livingston have a week off as they await the announcement of the post-split fixtures.