Hearts' James Penrice scores to make it 1-0 during a William Hill Premiership match between Dundee United and Heart of Midlothian at The CalForth Construction Arena at Tannadice Park,Image source, SNS
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James Penrice's 73rd-minute strike gave Hearts victory at Tannadice

James Penrice's sweet second-half strike gave "excellent" Hearts victory over Dundee United at Tannadice and kept them moving in the right direction in the Scottish Premiership, according to head coach Neil Critchley.

Hearts had the better chances in a scrappy and frenetic game, and Penrice made sure they eventually got their reward on 73 minutes when he smashed the ball past Jack Walton.

"It's the first time we've had back-to-back league wins, which gives us a lift and keeps us moving in the direction we want to," Critchley told BBC Scotland.

"It's very tight in the league and we have to keep performing the way we did today."

Liam Boyce, from a cross before the break, and Blair Spittal, with a free-kick in the second-half, both struck the crossbar for Hearts as in-form United struggled.

Jim Goodwin's side were seeking a fourth-straight top-flight win for the first time since 2013 having catapulted themselves into third on Thursday, but they ended the game with just a single effort on target.

Hearts were far from fluid but always looked the more likely, even after Penrice's thumping effort from inside the area.

The victory continues a positive start to 2025 for Neil Critchley's men, who stay in 11th spot but move eight points clear of bottom side St Johnstone.

United remain in third but their four-game unbeaten run comes to an end.

United fall flat after eye-catching run

Derby victory over Dundee capped a heady spell for United, who had lost just once in their last 10 games and won three in a row.

Goodwin has built a solid foundation which means United have always been in games, and as a result have often found goals late on - more than any other side in the league - to clinch points.

That foundation again kept them in this game until the final quarter, even when their play was well below par.

Goodwin knew it himself and brought on Ross Docherty and Jort Van der Sande for Richard Odada and Miller Thomson five minutes before half-time.

Unfortunately for the United boss, it did not smooth out the rough edges of his side's play.

Only right at the death when Craig Gordon had to push away Sam Dalby's flick from a corner, and Ross Docherty's header was blocked, did they look like scoring.

Quality in the final third on a more consistent basis is the next step for this United side.

Penrice-Spittal axis reviving Hearts

Since the low point of an Edinburgh derby defeat on Boxing Day, Hearts have improved and the combination of Penrice and Spittal down the left has been the key.

Those two - Penrice in particular - have been the shining lights in a gloomy season so far for the Edinburgh club, and again at Tannadice they combined more than any Hearts players.

It resulted in the pair of them putting in 17 of Hearts' 22 crosses, and Spittal was unlucky not to see his audacious free kick from 30 yards drop under the bar before Penrice struck.

The goal was taken with such conviction - in stark contrast to Boyce's miscued shot in the build-up - and it perfectly illustrated the confidence with which the 26-year-old is playing as he causes havoc down the left-hand side with his direct play and fearless attitude.

Back-to-back wins to start 2025 is much-needed for Critchley, and with new signings Jamie McCart and Elton Kabangu already in the door, things are starting to look more positive at Tynecastle.

What they said

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Jim Goodwin reacts to Dundee United loss

Dundee United manager Jim Goodwin: "We just weren't at the races. We caused ourselves a lot of problems early on through sloppiness. In the second half we were better without creating anything clear cut.

"Some of the guys are running on fumes at the moment. We've got another difficult week with a trip to Parkhead midweek and only two days before a massive game in Paisley on Saturday.

"I've got to take it on the chin that the changes I made didn't quite work. Today is on me, not the players, the effort was there but we just lacked quality."

Hearts head coach Neil Critchley: "I thought we were excellent, we edged the game and deserved to win. I would have liked to have taken more control.

"We have to try to improve the quality all over the pitch. In the final third, in the last couple of games, with more composure and quality 1-0 becomes 2-0."