Manager Derek McInnes said every Kilmarnock player gave a "performance-and-a-half" as they defeated Hearts despite playing 90 minutes with 10 men to leave their visitors bottom of the Scottish Premiership.

Robbie Deas' sending off - Kilmarnock's seventh of the season - for a dangerous tackle on Kenneth Vargas after only six minutes handed beleaguered Hearts an early advantage.

However, Kilmarnock shrugged off their discipline issues and took the lead through Bruce Anderson's penalty, after James Penrice mistimed a tackle on Joe Wright.

The home side should have built on their lead, too, but Hearts goalkeeper Craig Gordon twice denied Marley Watkins, while Kye Rowles deflected Liam Donnelly's shot wide of a post just after the break.

In the end, one goal was enough thanks to some stout defending.

"We had the best chances, more shots on target and we counter-attacked brilliantly," McInnes told BBC Scotland.

"When it comes to 10 men, everyone has to give a performance-and-a-half. And that's what we got. It's no more than we deserved.

"When you dress it down, it's three points we expected. But some three points feel better than others, and it feels like a brilliant three points."

Hearts, missing striker and captain Lawrence Shankland through suspension, piled on the pressure in the second half but were largely blunt.

The visitors struggled to create chances despite head coach Neil Critchley throwing on all of his attacking options.

Yan Dhanda ended up going closest to an equaliser when his long-range shot cracked the bar in stoppage time.

But Kilmarnock secured a morale-boosting victory which propels them from 11th spot up to eighth, four points shy of the top six.

Hearts are the same margin behind the Ayrshire side, one adrift of St Johnstone at the foot of the table.

As referee Don Robertson trooped to the monitor after flashing a yellow card at Deas for his challenge on Vargas, Kilmarnock boss Derek McInnes probably had a similar sinking feeling.

He has been here before this season. A lot. The images were not pretty for Deas, who planted his studs on Vargas' ankle.

The defender must have trudged down the tunnel fearing the wrath of his manager, who has continually had to address his side's disciplinary issues after five previous sending offs in the Premiership, six in total.

But Deas was bailed out by the discipline and endeavour of his team-mates, who actually looked the more threatening team until the final half hour when they ceded territory.

Unusually this season has been a struggle at home, with Kilmarnock previously collecting just six points at Rugby Park, the lowest total at home in the Premiership.

But this was more like the side who finished fourth last season, as they got forward quickly and with purpose while repelling almost everything which came into their box.

McInnes will hope this can be the catalyst for more consistency. Though he probably would not mind if they could get through more games with 11 players.

The general feeling is Hearts are too good not to start rising up the table. But how long can that sense last when results and peoples' own eyes tell them differently?

After a tough and tiring trip to Copenhagen on Thursday and with major injuries at the back, this always had the look of a tough game.

But when handed such an advantage after only six minutes, the expectations for Hearts changed, and an opportunity presented itself.

They had started brightly, too, with Musa Drammeh hitting the bar in the opening two minutes.

But rather than harnessing their early momentum and the red card they looked the more likely to concede, with Penrice's challenge on Wright for the penalty summing up their lack of composure.

In the second half, despite emptying their bench, they only forced O'Hara into two saves.

In total they flung 41 crosses into the Kilmarnock box, but mustered four attempts on target from them.

It has been a problem all season, with only Ross County scoring fewer goals. It is a tough spell for Critchley in the early days of his Hearts tenure, which was only compounded by the news centre-back Frankie Kent faces months out injured.

A huge game against Petrocub is next on Thursday as Hearts bid to go through to the next round of the Conference League.

But arguably more pressing are the league matches before the January window against St Johnstone, rivals Hibernian, and County.

Kilmarnock manager Derek McInnes: "It's too often this season we're having to deal with playing with 10 men and we're having to work harder to get anything.

"We had something similar at St Mirren when we're behind and go down to 10 men and manage to get something."

Hearts head coach Neil Critchley: "I'm more than frustrated. I'm stunned and shocked by that performance. I've not seen that from this group in my time here. That was miles away in every department.

"We started brightly and then the sending off changes the game, and the next 10 minutes we got too emotional with the ball and made poor decisions. We made poor decisions off the ball, which cost us the game."