Heart of Midlothian

Amy Canavan
BBC Sport Scotland

Kelle Roos (Kilmarnock): Not the finest all-round performance but came up clutch deep into stoppage time to deny Dundee from the spot and save a potentially priceless point for Killie.

Alexander Jensen (Aberdeen): Pushed back a little bit but impressed at wing-back against Hibernian. Tanked up and down the touchline and coped well when Hibs were trying to put him under pressure.

Krisztian Keresztes (Dundee United): Admittedly, not the finest weekend for defenders, but the substitute hauled United level with an important header to allow them to push on for a late win against Livingston.

Will Ferry (Dundee United): And here's the man who set him up. Ferry also opened the scoring with a superb solo goal at Tannadice.

Hyun-jun Yang (Celtic): Few in green and white impressed in a narrow win over St Mirren at Celtic Park, but the South Korean showed up again.

Nicolas Raskin (Rangers): For his second-half showing at Falkirk. The Belgium international was like a man possessed after the break with an abundance of fight, quality and creativity on show. Displayed his very best as Rangers ripped Falkirk apart in a bonkers second 45.

Beni Baningime (Hearts): Back alongside Cammy Devlin in the engine room and back pulling the strings for Hearts. A classy performance - again - in the crucial win over Motherwell.

Emmanuel Gyamfi (Aberdeen): Outside his needless incident with Hibs striker Owen Elding, for which he was shown a yellow card after a VAR review, the wide man was Aberdeen's biggest threat in one of his better performances for the Dons. Hooked balls in at every chance he could, something Stephen Robinson will be desperate to see more of.

Sabah Kerjota (Hearts): Came on in the 66th minute and immediately became Hearts' set-piece taker, whipping in inviting deliveries - including one that led to the second goal. His cameo performances have impressed to the point there is clamour for him to start the upcoming Edinburgh derby over Alexandros Kyziridis.

Kevin Nisbet (Aberdeen): The man grateful for those deliveries from Gyamfi. Kept his cool from the spot against his former side before smashing the much-needed second over the line... just. Big, big goals and an equally impressive all-round performance.

Lewis Smith (Livingston): Doing all he can to keep Livingston in the league, chipping in with another two goals. Even if the Lions are relegated, which is increasingly likely, Smith should remain in the top flight. One wouldn't think he'd be short of suitors.

Watch all the action from Hearts' 3-1 win against Motherwell.

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Hearts manager Derek McInnes is encouraged by his strikers' form after three of them netted in a 3-1 win over Motherwell.

Starters Claudio Braga and Lawrence Shankland had few chances as Motherwell threatened to knock the William Hill Premiership leaders off their perch.

But the Portuguese forward hooked home an equaliser and Shankland netted from a VAR-assisted penalty two minutes from time.

Substitute Landry Kabore rounded off the comeback victory in stoppage time to ensure Hearts go into the split on the summit.

"There's no doubt the last five games are going to be dramatic," McInnes said. "I feel the weight of responsibility, every team we pick, to try and get my players in the best form possible.

"When you come so far in the season with five games to go, it's difficult to keep going to the well and getting those performances. That's why the squad is so important for us.

"And we've got no troubles to seek in terms of injuries at the minute. But it pleases me no end that Braga and Shankland scored again, and Kabore gets a goal.

"We've shown a bit more of our attacking threat."

Shankland and Braga have scored 27 goals between them in the Premiership and sit in the top four of the goalscoring charts.

"I wouldn't change the two of them for anything. Shankland's only going to get better. Braga is just effervescent. He feeds off this crowd. He doesn't give defenders a minute. He's on a mission to get as many goals as well. That gives us all real comfort and a bit of optimism."

Hearts go into the split just a point ahead of Rangers and knowing that there could be twists and turns as the top six face off.

"Motherwell will test your organisation the whole game," said McInnes, who lost defender Oisin McEntee to a hamstring injury late on.

"They're good players, they've had a lot of plaudits for a lot of reasons. We're going to have to play them again, Falkirk, who are a great side, Rangers and Celtic and Hibs. So they're brilliant games to be involved in.

"Motherwell, Falkirk and Hibs have all got their own motivation to finish in that fourth spot and finish in Europe."

We asked for your views on Hearts' 3-1 win against Motherwell.

Here's what some of you said:

Gary: Another hard-fought three points. Motherwell controlled the game and should have been out of sight before a superb Claudio Braga finish. The substitutions definitely changed things.

I can't understand the reluctance by Derek McInnes to give Sabah Kerjota more game time in place of the unremarkable Alexandros Kyziridis. Unlike any other split Motherwell, Falkirk and Hibs are going to have a big say on where the title ends up.

Gez: Nobody told us title battles could be so stressful! We all thought it would be a thrill and a delight, but my goodness, the intensity of wanting something so much puts you right through it!

Sometimes fate comes and gives what you deserved. Motherwell's gamesmanship in the first half was rightly pointed out in no uncertain terms from the Tynie faithful. The second half, though, is what title-winning teams have done throughout the decades - hang in there when it's not going your way, then when the chance comes, take it. Especially pleased for Pierre Landry Kabore, a great finish. But overall - pure relief!

Frank: This side has a lot of character. It was not an easy watch at times but it's job done. Goals for all three strikers. Kerjota deserves a start and might prove to be the winning card for the run in.

Alfo: We got the slice of luck to turn the match that's eluded us over the last couple of games but ran out worthy winners in the end. Hearts' performances against the top teams bodes well for the post-split fixtures. All fans want is for the Jambos come out swinging in the last five games. Do that and a jaw-dropping title win will turn this group of players into absolute legends.

David: Confidence building. A late win but shows the determination of Hearts. The team give their best which is good going forward. Team is getting stronger and better.

Fraser: Not sure the phrase "emotional rollercoaster" really does Hearts' season justice. Relieved to get three points after another fairly flat performance. Kabore's goal will only give him confidence. Five to go.

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Hearts captain Lawrence Shankland believes "there's a lot to be excited about" after a win over Motherwell ensured his side will be top of the table going into the post-split fixtures.

The Premiership leaders went a goal down to the Steelmen at Tynecastle before Claudio Braga equalised, and Shankland's penalty put Hearts in front before Pierre-Landry Kabore added some gloss to the scoreline with an injury-time strike.

Victory opened up a four-point gap at the top of the table, though Rangers can narrow the gap again to a point when they visit Falkirk on Sunday.

Being in pole position before matches against their title rivals and the rest of the top six is exactly where Hearts want to be, though the captain does still expect "twists and turns" before the trophy's destination is decided.

Shankland said: "It's five cup finals, really, isn't it?" We know if we're going to win them all, then there's no doubt where we will be, but I imagine there's going to be plenty of twists and turns, and everybody needs to play each other.

"It'll make for a brilliant end to the season for Scottish football in general, but we'll just look to go and win as many games as we can, and if we do that, we could be in a really good place.

" When we started out the season, you had an idea that we were a strong side and had a good feeling about the place.

"We've managed to carry that through, got a lot of positive results and are still sitting in a good position come April and getting into May. We can be excited, there's a lot to be excited about.

"A lot of big games coming up and it's just about getting ready for them."

The Scotland international admitted Motherwell had given his side a real test but his side has shown their mettle to get back into it and go on to take three points.

"They're a good side and they cause you problems," he said. "It was just about dealing with that throughout the majority of the game.

"We dealt with a lot of it pretty well, but when they have that much of the ball, they are going to have moments where they threaten a goal.

"They went 1-0 up, and it's just about character from there."

Hearts did it the hard way, coming from behind once more against Motherwell, as they did in August's 3-3 draw at Tynecastle, only going one better this time with a vital victory.

It ensures that Derek McInnes' side will go into the Scottish Premiership split top of the table. Will they secure their first title since 1960?

Read the match report.

Let us know your thoughts.

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Hearts head coach Derek McInnes recognises that his side had "a bit of fortune" but is happy to go into warm-weather training in Spain during the international break still at the top of the Scottish Premiership after a 3-1 win over Motherwell.

"It is good to go into it with a big win because the game was in the balance for a while there," he told BBC Scotland.

"We'll not get carried away. But we have shown, with five games to go, they keep doing their jobs and we just need to keep doing that for a while longer."

Hearts had to come from behind to beat the fourth-top visitors.

"I thought it was a really good game, fiercely contested," McInnes said

"I think we saw a lot of the good in both teams. Some things we could do better, Motherwell will be disappointed at one or two of their bigger chances.

"But I thought we were the better team in the first half. We shaded it just in terms of Motherwell didn't really connect the game they normally do.

"But they did get a couple of shots from the edge of the box. They are good at creating that space in front of centre-halfs.

"They caused us a bit of anxiety with their speed. Longelo, Maswanhise, Just and Said, they are all lovely footballers, but I thought in the main we dealt with it really well.

"It has hard to keep a good team round and there was a feeling when we went 1-0 down, we had it all to do.

"It was important we stayed calm. I reverted to my 4-4-2. Sometimes it is good to go back to the familiar, but it gave them more control in the middle of the park, so we reverted back and I thought we were far better.

"We had some good moments, I thought my subs did well and obviously a great goal from [Claudio] Braga gets us back on our way.

"Nobody was settling for 1-1. We tried to put stress on their back-line. I wasn't sure about the penalty, but everyone who's seen it back says it is a penalty - he gets kicked in the head.

"Lawrence Shankland tucks it away brilliantly and Kabore finishes it off. So your three strikers scoring. We were strong in the last 10 minutes to see it out for a great three points."

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Hearts centre-half Stuart Findlay returns after six weeks out with a calf injury.

But Birmingham City loanee Marc Leonard is suspended, while fellow midfielder Tomas Magnusson will have a thigh injury assessed to see if he will play any further part this season.

Calem Nieuwenhof, Ageu and Craig Gordon remain out.

Motherwell hope to have forward Eythor Bjorgolfsson and defender Liam Gordon back after minor injuries, while striker Callum Hendry is available after a three-month absence.

But Regan Charles-Cook and Zach Robinson remain out.

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Hearts head coach Derek McInnes has praised Motherwell for their impact on the Premiership as he aims to guide his team to a first win over the Steelmen this season.

Motherwell have won plaudits for their style under manager Jens Berthel Askou, and their attacking style has taken them to fourth place in the table, just ten points behind Celtic.

McInnes counts himself amongst the Dane's admirers and says he can see why the team has been getting a lot of positive attention. Hearts drew 3-3 with Askou's side at Tynecastle in August, and were held to a 0-0 draw at Fir Park in November, making them the only Premiership opposition McInnes' team hasn't beaten.

Despite Motherwell having now gone four games without a win, he knows he'll be facing a team that's more than the sum of their parts as he aims to land three vital Premiership points on Saturday.

"I think they've been a breath of fresh air and the manager's done a brilliant job," he said. "The players are responding brilliantly to him.

"Motherwell are playing with a lot of confidence and you see that in their game, and they've had a brilliant season.

"I know they've hit a wee sticky spell at the minute, but it's not going to take away from a lot of the good work that they've done.

"I did say ahead of the game last week that certain teams are probably punching above their weight and kind of getting a bit more than maybe what was expected, and Motherwell is one of them.

"Very few people have not commented on how good they've been this season and you can understand why."

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Hearts players will be aiming to get back to winning ways quickly after their draw with Livingston, to avoid creating more pressure on themselves and helping others gain title momentum, according to former Premiership striker Cillian Sheridan.

Last Sunday's 2-2 draw at Almondvale saw the team move back to the top of the Premiership table after being briefly displaced by Rangers but the result was seen as two points dropped as both the Ibrox side and Celtic won their games to tighten things at the top.

Speaking to the BBC Scottish Football Podcast, Sheridan said that the Tynecastle side would have their focus on three points at home against Motherwell this weekend to make sure they keep the slender advantage they have and to keep the pressure on those chasing them.

"I think they'll definitely be disappointed from the Livingston game," he said.

"I think they initially responded well after going a goal down and it probably looked like it was a matter of time before they were going to get an equaliser and then go on and win the game. They didn't.

"Celtic then winning after them, then the whole fixture stuff [with the schedule giving Hearts a final match at Celtic Park in May] happens and then all the pressure ramps up again.

"I think having a little bit more of a cushion would have probably helped, helped Hearts in that regard. I think they'll definitely be looking to bounce back.

"I think it's big for Hearts to get a good, fast start over these next two or three games and to kind of keep that little cushion that they have. The last thing I think they'd want to do is get dragged into a thing where they bring Celtic back into it when Rangers are in it with them already.

"As we've seen all season and now obviously with every match that goes by, that cushion will disappear for Hearts.

"So I think it's just ramping up for them and it's something new for them, for the players, for the manager, for the club at the minute. I would imagine it's all very exciting there."

Hearts have concerns over 23-year-old midfielder Tomas Magnusson's fitness. (Edinburgh Evening News - subscription required), external

Manager Derek McInnes and Hearts are seeking more than just "pats on the back" and he wants his Scottish Premiership leaders to "see the job through". (Record - subscription required), external

And Hearts will go out to attack Motherwell on Saturday. (Edinburgh Evening News - subscription required), external

Friday's Scottish gossip

Samuel Ukah
BBC Sport Scotland

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After six weeks out with a calf injury, Stuart Findlay is set to return to the Hearts squad to face Motherwell this Saturday.

The Steelmen remain the only team the Scottish Premiership leaders are yet to beat in the league this season, but Findlay says his side are embracing the pressure, despite people waiting for them to slip up in the title race.

"A lot of people out there are waiting for perhaps a trip up. I mean, it's impossible to say we're drowning out the outside noise," he said.

"We understand that, that's just the nature of where we are in the league, but we've got such a good changing room, such a good group, such a good inner circle where we are, that we all have faith in each other.

"We all have one goal, we're all singing from the same hymn sheet. The cliche we've stuck to for the first 32 games is each game as it comes.

"We're getting to the point where there's not much more of them to come, but we just have to keep doing what we've been doing and hopefully end a special season for us."

The SPFL announced on Tuesday that Hearts' post-split fixtures will conclude with a potential title decider at Celtic Park.

However, the returning centre-back downplayed the significance of the schedule, insisting no fanbase will ever be satisfied with the order of games.

"All six teams need to play each other. In the order that they do, nobody's ever going to be fully happy," he added. "It is what it is. We've got six fixtures, we'll take them as they come.

"There are pros and cons that you could say. If you had Celtic first game of the split, it's a really hard game to get the fixtures off and up and running.

"So, there's different ways you can spin every fixture. All we can do is go into each game as it comes and try and get a positive result."

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• Claudio Braga's 13 Scottish Premiership goals this season have been worth 12 points to Hearts, the most of any player for any side in the division this term. However, only four of those 13 strikes have come at home (30.8%).

• Motherwell have lost three of their last four league games (D1), as many as their first 28 of the season beforehand (W14 D11 L3). They have conceded as many goals in these last four league matches as they did in their prior 21 beforehand (eight).

• Hearts have won each of their last four home league games by the same 1-0 scoreline; it's the first time any Scottish top-flight side has had four successive home league matches end in the exact same score since Aberdeen had four straight 0-0 draws from May to September 2012, while no side has had five consecutive identical home results in the division in the 21st century.

• Motherwell have won just one of their last nine league visits to Hearts (D2 L6), a 1-0 victory in September 2023 under Stuart Kettlewell.

• Hearts are unbeaten in five league meetings with Motherwell (W2 D3), keeping four clean sheets. It's their longest such unbeaten run against the Steelmen since going eight without defeat from April 2005 to September 2007.

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Hearts midfielder Marc Leonard will be suspended for Saturday's home game with Motherwell after his red card away to Livingston was upheld by a Scottish FA fast-track panel.

The 24-year-old, on loan from Birmingham City, was sent off in stoppage time of Sunday's 2-2 draw for a cynical pull on Robbie Muirhead near the halfway line to prevent the striker breaking clear.

Hearts appealed against the decision but those at the tribunal hearing agreed referee Kevin Clancy was correct to send the player off.

Earlier on Wednesday, Hearts head coach Derek McInnes said the incident was not a "clear and obvious opportunity" for Livingston to grab a last-gasp winner.

"The Livingston player is in his own half, there is a long way to go," he said.

"Jamie McCart's actually got a bit of a head of steam in the same channel and the likelihood is he would get back before Robbie could get a clean shot on goal.

"But also for me, even more pivotal is Jordi Altena's position, he is cutting across on the angle, I'm almost hundred percent certain that Robbie is not going to have the speed or the capability to get straight in on your goal without having to beat one of our players.

"And, for me, that then eradicates the clear and obvious opportunity, and it's not to say it's not still a chance for Livingston, I get that, but he's not going to get a clean run in on goal."

Brian McLauchlin
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

Hearts head coach Derek McInnes has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Scottish Premiership match against Motherwell at Tynecastle (15:00 BST).

Here are the key lines:

• Hearts will appeal the red card shown to midfielder Marc Leonard for denying a goalscoring opportunity in Sunday's draw at Livingston.

• McInnes feels there was enough time for at least one Hearts player to get back and cover before Livingston striker Robbie Muirhead would have been in a position to shoot.

• "I'm almost 100% certain that he's not going to have the speed or the capability to get straight in on our goal without having to beat one of our players," he says. "And for me that then eradicates the clear and obvious opportunity."

• McInnes says Hearts' post-split fixtures, which conclude with a final-day trip to Celtic Park, are "what they had anticipated". He feels for the fans who will not be able to attend and also sympathises with supporters because of the various different kick-off times across the schedule, including the 17:30 BST start time against Rangers on Monday, 4 May.

• On Hearts' final five matches, McInnes adds: "I know there's been a lot of narrative and comment about the team who normally goes into the split with the most points being at home on the last game of the season and that hasn't been the case this time. I get how not everybody's going to be happy, and I think the league have got a tough job to try and keep every club happy and every set of supporters happy, but for us we're just excited about the games that are coming up."

• McInnes says that he would be happy to play the matches "in a car park" and he does "not want to get too caught up" on some of the discourse that has followed Tuesday's fixtures announcement.

• On his team news, McInnes revealed centre-back Stuart Findlay will return for the visit of Motherwell and left-back Harry Milne is back running and will be assessed before the game. Meanwhile, Tomas Magnusson could miss the rest of the season with a thigh strain, but the club are seeking a second opinion on the midfielder's injury.

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Stephen Kingsley has urged Hearts to look at the positives after their draw at Livingston, and focus on the challenges ahead as they look to land the Premiership title.

The team travelled to Almondvale on Sunday in the hopes of another vital three points but were held to a 2-2 draw by the Premiership's bottom side.

The disappointing result left the team just one point ahead of Rangers and three ahead of Celtic, with a home match against Motherwell next weekend, their last before the split.

Kingsley acknowledged that the result was a setback but urged everyone to look at the team's position and how they now had six games to make history.

"We are top of the league, we are still there and we know that if we win on Saturday, we will go into the split top of the league," he said.

"Sometimes you just need to think if someone had told you that seven or eight months ago... It's an incredible place to be.

"We have now got to react to a few disappointing moments and make sure we're bang at it for Saturday.

"You can't say anything other than the next six games are massive for us.

"It's up to us to go and get a result against Motherwell and go into the split hopefully [at least] a point ahead.

"What an opportunity it is. We just want to be there and take this opportunity. We have to make the most of it. That's our mentality."

Kingsley insists there's no concern over all the team's remaining fixtures being against top six sides, saying their form has been strong in those games, and dismissed any talk of pressure starting to affect the team.

"I feel like people will put it down to nerves and tension, but it's not realistic thinking us, Rangers and Celtic will go the rest of the season and not drop points," he said.

"The full season has shown that teams will drop points. It's how you react - and we've done that very well this season. Whenever we've dropped points, we have always bounced back.

"Saturday is another chance to do that and, if we do that, we'll put ourselves in a great position going into the split."

George O'Neill
BBC Sport Scotland

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The headline news from the Scottish Premiership's post-split fixtures was undoubtedly that league leaders Hearts will go to Celtic Park on the final day of the league season.

Hearts supporters will be frustrated - understandably - not to have the chance to seal what would be a historic title win at Tynecastle. Instead, there will be a tiny pocket of away fans present to witness what would be one of the greatest achievements in Scottish football history.

Yes, Hearts could have won it before then, but given the incredible twists and turns we have seen throughout this campaign, it feels inevitable it will go to the wire on 16 May.

On that date 28 years ago, Hearts went to Celtic Park and won silverware, beating Rangers 2-1 in the Scottish Cup final with Hampden Park being renovated.

They have other good memories in Glasgow's east end - more recent ones too - from their 2-1 win at Parkhead earlier this season.

And the way the fixtures have landed give Derek McInnes' side the chance to seize the initiative in the run-in.

Beat Motherwell at home on Saturday and they go into the final five matches clear at the top.

They then play two of their three hardest matches on paper back-to-back - away to Edinburgh rivals Hibernian before welcoming their nearest challengers Rangers to Gorgie.

Win those and history beckons - a first title since 1960 could be won at Parkhead.