Heart of Midlothian

"Every game at this stage of the season is going to be tough," said Blair Spittal after Hearts extended their lead at the top of the Scottish Premiership with a 1-0 win over Falkirk.

The midfielder made the most of an unexpected start, replacing Ageu, who picked up an injury in the warm-up.

Admitting the game was "a bit nervy at times", the 27-year-old stressed the importance of points over performance.

"It doesn't matter how you do it, as long as you win and we've managed to do that," he added.

"We made it hard for ourselves at points but when it mattered, we found a wee bit of quality and we had a great finish [from Islam Chesnokov].

"The first half was probably a wee bit more open than what we hoped for. I thought Falkirk were really good, waiting for us to go and then finding the spare player, but at half-time we corrected a few things and I thought we dealt with it a lot better in the second half."

It was just a seventh league start for Spittal this term and there may be more to come, with injuries mounting.

"It's just making sure you're ready for the opportunity," he said. "Thankfully, mine came today. It just shows the strength of the squad that we've got.

"We've got a lot of injuries but the boys are coming in and putting their bodies in the line.

"I feel I've played well but there's boys this season that have had great seasons so I kind of know where I'm at in terms of just being ready to take the opportunity but hopefully there's plenty more good days to come."

Hearts are five points in front of Rangers, who travel to Livingston on Sunday, while third-placed Celtic host Hibernian.

"It's just important we win games and take care of ourselves," added Spittal on the title race. "We don't look at what anyone else is doing.

"When we're playing Saturdays and Celtic and Rangers are playing Sunday, we know we've got to try and put a wee bit of pressure on them.

"Every game at this stage of the season is going to be tough. It's nice being able to watch the games tomorrow knowing that we've picked up a nice three points."

Hearts got back to winning ways in the Scottish Premiership title race, overcoming Falkirk with a narrow victory at Tynecastle thanks to Islam Chesnokov's first goal for the club.

Read the full match report here.

Let us know your thoughts here.

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Hearts head coach Derek McInnes: "We started okay, our out-of-possession stuff was better than our in-possession. I don't think we really knitted the game together as well as we'd hoped.

"Obviously, we go with one striker and two wide players. The benefit of the two wide players combined for the goal, Kyziridis coming in all shape and a lovely little pass to Chesnokov and a lovely finish for Islam.

"I'm so pleased for him and Kyziridis' part in it as well. You'd have to say it was our first half, probably throughout a 20-30 minute spell, where there was a lot of nervousness about.

"I need to thank the fans because the fans didn't add to that. They were brilliant with sticking with the team. They understand this is new territory for a lot of us here at Hearts and there's an understanding that they're getting right behind the team.

"The goal comes before half-time, which makes the team talk a wee bit different. But we did speak about the importance of communicating more clearly, quicker, louder, more often and making sure our out-of-possession stuff was much better.

"We still landed the better moments to get a second goal in the second half. The possession was 50-50. We had more shots, more shots than target.

"We managed the second half really well. Just disappointed we never managed to get a second goal, but sometimes 1-0 is enough, particularly at this stage of the season."

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Hearts will be without Oisin McEntee (shoulder), Stephen Kingsley (calf), Cammy Devlin (ankle), Lawrence Shankland, Calem Nieuwenhof and Finlay Pollock (all hamstring).

Falkirk lose the suspended Liam Henderson and on-loan Hearts player Lewis Neilson from their central defence, but Connor Allan should shrug off a head wound and Ethan Williams is back. Ben Parkinson (ankle) remains out, while Ross MacIver and Gary Oliver are still working their way back.

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Livingston defender Cammy Kerr thinks Hearts' title challenge has "run out of steam", particularly with injuries to key players.

The Jambos are currently top of the Premiership table but could drop off top spot depending on results this weekend.

Derek McInnes' side are two points clear of Rangers in second and three ahead of Celtic in third, who have a game in hand.

If Hearts don't win on Sunday and Rangers do, they'll slip off the top of the table for the first time since August.

They're at home to John McGlynn's high-flying Falkirk on Saturday and Kerr believes, with the pressure off the Bairns they've got a solid chance of getting a result.

"I think honestly Falkirk will get a result," Kerr told the BBC's Scottish Football Podcast.

"I do believe that. They have been to Tynecastle in the cup already and gave them a shock and that could even play a part at the weekend.

"Falkirk are under no pressure. It's a great place to go and play at Tynecastle and all the pressure is on Hearts.

"Everyone has spoken about Hearts all season, how good they've been and rightly so.

"My opinion is that they've just run out of steam.

"I think at the time Lawrence Shankland and Cammy Devlin came out the squad, that's coincided with the results just dipping ever so slightly. I think next season will be where you really do see Hearts kind of push on.

"It'll be a really interesting game at the weekend and Falkirk might just pick up the points."

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Hearts winger Alexandros Kyziridis believes his side have already shown this season they can respond to setbacks - and has played down the significance of losing to Rangers.

The league leaders fell to a 4-2 defeat at Ibrox last weekend in a thrilling game that saw Rangers close the gap at the top of the Premiership to just two points. Celtic's dramatic win at Kilmarnock sees them in third place and three points behind Hearts and with a game in hand.

The results were the latest twists in a title race that looks set to go right through to the end of the season, and put extra pressure on Hearts as they prepare to face Falkirk at Tynecastle on Saturday, a day before their rivals play.

Kyziridis admitted to feeling "sad" after the Ibrox loss but is confident Hearts can bounce back quickly.

"Of course in football, sometimes you're going to win and sometimes lose," he said. "You're going to learn from the defeats and I'm pretty confident that every time we've had a defeat, afterwards we've done pretty well. That's why I believe that everything will be fine.

"I always say that my main point, and for the team, is to focus on each Saturday and then see at the end of the season what we've achieved.

"There's 11 games and we need to win as many as we can, work every day and be ourselves."

The Greek attacker surprisingly revealed that it was no surprise for him to see Hearts still at the top of the league at this stage, and vowed to push all the way for a successful end to the season.

"The players and manager, the facilities and all the small details gave me this belief that we can be successful," he said. "We're here with 11 to go and we'll give everything.

"We lost a game, it happens. The main focus is to continue and win as many as we can.

"You're always going to have the pressure and it's important to handle it. We're in a good way and we know what we have to do.

"Every game is difficult and you have to prepare for them all 100%. I don't think any game in this league is easy. You just have to give everything and be yourself on the pitch."

League leaders Hearts are planning warm weather training in Dubai before the Scottish Premiership run-in. (Sun), external

Rangers physio Steve Walker is expected to join Hearts next season. (Record), external

Friday's Scottish gossip

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• Hearts have won eight of their last 10 league games against newly promoted opponents (L2), including all four so far in 2025-26 (two v Livingston, two v Falkirk).

• Falkirk are winless in seven top-flight meetings with Hearts (D2 L5) since a 2-1 victory in September 2008, losing their last four in a row.

• Hearts remain the only unbeaten side at home in the Scottish Premiership this season (P13 W9 D4), with no side picking up more points on home soil in the competition this term than the league leaders (31, level with Celtic, Motherwell and Rangers).

• Falkirk have alternated between defeat (three) and victory (three) in their last six away league games, beating Livingston 2-1 most recently.

• Hearts have scored 19 goals from set-pieces (excl. penalties) in the Scottish Premiership this season, more than any other side, with eight of their last 11 home league goals coming from set plays (five corners, three free-kicks).

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Midfielder Cammy Devlin insists Hearts "have done absolutely nothing yet" and is urging fans to get behind the club as they continue to push for the league title.

The Tynecastle club last claimed the top flight title in 1960 and since then Celtic and Rangers have dominated the league.

But Derek McInnes' side are the team to beat this season, sitting two points in front of second-placed Rangers and three ahead of Celtic in third who have a game in hand.

They welcome Falkirk on Saturday and Devlin, currently sidelined with an injury, is urging supporters to turn out in numbers again.

"It's so important that they're with us," he told Hearts TV, external.

"Whether we're winning, drawing late on or maybe we need them to help us come back into the game. Things can't go your way all the time. When I see them on the street I tell them how important it is to stick with us.

"It's been an amazing season so far but at the end of the day we've done absolutely nothing yet. Come the end of the season we all want the same thing, we're all trying to push in the same direction.

"Hearts are playing the way a Hearts team should look, winning games when we're playing well and winning games when we're not playing so well which is important for a successful team."

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Derek McInnes has been speaking to the media ahead of Hearts' visit of Falkirk on Saturday.

Here are the key lines from his press conference:

• Says the 4-2 defeat against Rangers was "sore" but he adds that "defeat should feel that, and if it doesn't, then there's something wrong".

• McInnes stresses it's "in our nature" to bounce back from defeats after their 4-2 loss at Rangers, and adds: "It's not always going to be a bed of roses, you've got to respond."

• The Hearts boss was "encouraged by" the performance against Danny Rohl's, despite it being a "difficult afternoon."

• McInnes is hopeful Islam Chesnokov, Rogers Mato and Eduardo Ageu can have a "big part to play" in the remaining games.

• And while he admits that "there's pressure on every club," he stresses that he'd "rather have the pressure" sitting at the top of the league table than the bottom.

• McInnes stresses "nothing is decided" in the title race and that his side have "just got to try and enjoy it".

• McInnes is "full of admiration" for his players and says they are deserving of "so much praise and support."

• He adds that it's his job and the staff's job to keep the players on track, and to keep them "fully motivated," but they're a "tight group" and feels that they're "in a good place."

• The 54-year-old "always expected a fight," but says there's "still a brilliant opportunity" for Hearts to come out on top this season but "every game is a challenge."

• McInnes expects Falkirk to be a "difficult" game on Saturday and knows despite having two league wins over them this season a top performance will be required.

• Praised his sides record at Tynecastle and says Hearts have "got to take encouragement" from it after recording nine wins and four draws in thirteen home fixtures.

• Team news: Oisin McEntee will miss this weekend's fixture after suffering a shoulder injury at Ibrox, but he's hopeful it will "settle pretty quickly" and the 25-year-old defender should be okay for Aberdeen next week.

Brian McLauchlin
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

If there is one thing to be learned from Sunday's Premiership programme involving those perched at the summit, it's that the road to the 2025-26 title will not be a gentle stroll but a white-knuckle ride.

Hearts travelled west to face Rangers and, on a damp and dreary afternoon in Glasgow, the margins were painfully fine. Hearts competed, they battled, they showed resilience. Ultimately, however, a handful of costly errors proved decisive. At this stage of the season, such moments are rarely forgiven.

There will be no panic inside the Tynecastle dressing room. This is a side that has demonstrated its capacity to respond to setbacks. Time and again this campaign, they have absorbed disappointment and followed it with a statement of intent. The hallmark of genuine contenders is not perfection, but reaction.

Physically, every team at the top end should be finely tuned by now. The heavy lifting was done in pre-season, the miles have been logged.

What separates champions from nearly men over the final eleven fixtures is mentality. Composure under scrutiny. Clarity amid noise. The ability to treat each game as significant, but not suffocating.

The prize is considerable. Even with Hearts still setting the pace at the top of the table, defeat inevitably invites doubt from the outside world. Pundits are quick to shift momentum with their pens. A stumble becomes a "wobble", a narrow loss recast as fragility. It is a narrative as old as the title race itself.

Pressure, though, is a curious companion. Some players draw energy from it, sharpened by expectation. Others can shrink, retreating into anonymity. There will be no such hiding place in this run-in. Every touch, every clearance, every missed chance will be amplified.

Next comes Falkirk, revitalised under John McGlynn and already proven to be awkward opponents. Their penalty shoot-out triumph at Tynecastle in the Scottish Cup still lingers in the memory. They will arrive believing.

For Hearts, however, the equation is simple: three points. Any sort of victory would suffice, and it would heap immediate pressure on Celtic and Rangers, who take to the field 24 hours later. In a title race, timing can be as potent as talent.

There will be further twists and turns before the destination is reached. That much feels certain. If this season has taught us anything, it is that certainty is fleeting and momentum fragile.

Come May, only one side will be crowned champions. Between now and then, expect drama - and plenty of it.

Image source, BBC Sport

Hearts midfielder Oisin McEntee's shoulder injury he suffered at Ibrox does not look as bad as initially feared (Edinburgh Evening News), external.

Greg Playfair
Fan writer

Perspective is required; we're in mid-February and time when supermarkets are chock-full of Easter eggs and Heart of Midlothian are still riding top of the Scottish Premiership.

I wouldn't have imagined it was possible to see us dominate the league since late September.

There are many sceptics out there that believe we've had our great fall and are now going to tumble down the league, but those comments don't get any Jambos humpty at the current situation.

Derek McInnes deserves enormous credit and should be the front-runner to win Manager of the Year for what he has achieved, despite clamour for John McGlynn, Danny Rohl or Jens Berthel Askou.

That said, I still think that one or two of the tactical decisions he made against Rangers deserve to be talked about.

The main issue I have is the decision to move Claudio Braga from being the focal point of attack out to the wing to accommodate Landry Kabore.

Braga assisted one and scored the other despite being starved of service in that first half, and both Rangers centre backs John Souttar and Emmanuel Fernandez would have been both delighted at McInnes' tinkering.

The other main criticism I have is that the majority of our January signings haven't made an immediate impact like the ones Celtic and Rangers have had. If we do end up finishing second, third or perhaps even lower at the end of this season, I think we would all point to the January window being our Achilles' heel.

I know it sounds harsh, but we knew for a couple of months that we needed to strengthen our right side – and although we signed Jordi Altena and Islam Chesnokov, they both appear to be project signings, and both need a full pre-season before they can be properly judged.

Granted we got Marc Leonard in to replace Cammy Devlin, but that right side isn't in better shape than the end of December and we didn't get a striker in to give us another option up top, leaving an almighty burden on Claudio Braga as it's clear McInnes doesn't rate Elton Kabangu.

All that said, I still believe that it was mistakes defensively that cost us at Ibrox and we need to stop conceding goals.

I'll be interested to see what McInnes does for the visit of Falkirk. I don't think any of the January signings – Leonard apart – as well as Ageu or Sabah Kerjota have really had any meaningful contributions to the team but it's these sorts of fixtures, at a sold-out Tynecastle, which would be the perfect opportunity to give these guys a chance to impress.

If you can't perform with 18,000 home supporters backing you, can you do it anywhere else in the league?

I think Ageu might get another chance to impress and I'd also give Kerjota or Chesnokov an opportunity as we need pace in both the wide areas.

The last tactical decision I'd make – and I can't believe I'm suggesting this – is to play Rogers Mato on the left ahead of Alex Kyziridis. I'm a big fan of Kyzi, but he's been off the boil the last half a dozen games and I would feel more confident having a fired up and known quantity in reserve on the bench , should we need it.

Saturday's game against Falkirk is the first in a home double-header, and a game where a lot of Jambos are targeting the first three points out of six. It's definitely not going to be easy and I'd take a nervy 1-0 win if offered to keep the lead at the top whilst the games remaining reduce week by week.

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Claudio Braga admits to being "frustrated by Hearts' defeat to Rangers but says his side are still in pole position in the Premiership and need to keep going.

Hearts led twice at Ibrox on Sunday before falling to a 4-2 defeat that saw both Rangers and Celtic narrow the gap at the top of the table.

Braga, who scored his side's second goal, lamented the defending that cost his side at least a point but is targeting a response when Falkirk visit Tynecastle on Sunday.

"It's frustrating, of course. In the first half, I think we were better.

"We let them control the game and we went on the counter-attack. We were doing a good job on that. Then we lost two cheap goals.

"In the second half, we know that we could do better – also the goals against us. If we did things a little bit different, like one less pass, we would do better.

"It's frustrating but we're still in first place and there are still a lot of games to go. We have a home game now, so we just need to go for that."

Though Hearts have been league leaders for a long stretch of the season, Braga denied there was any extra pressure on the team as they go into the title-run-in, pointing out that it has been decades since a side outside of Glasgow lifted the league trophy.

"No, I don't feel we have that pressure just because it's 40 years now, right? So we're doing something amazing.

"We're proud of the work we're doing. Of course, the more (points) we can get, the better. But the pressure, I think, is normally on the teams that win the league.

"So we have, of course, a good pressure. We just need to enjoy it as much as we can, trying to go to games with a good mentality and win games."

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Derek McInnes insisted his side are not finished in the title race after losing to rivals Rangers at Ibrox.

Hearts still have a two-point lead at the top of the table, although Celtic are three behind with a game in hand. It should be noted that McInnes' side currently have a better goal difference than the reigning champions.

"We still feel, although we've lost a fight today, there's still a war to win and we're still well in it," McInnes said after the 4-2 loss to Rangers.

"For us to be top of the league at this stage of the season is testament to the efforts of the players. And I've seen enough today that there's still a lot of fight and courage about our performance."

Some pundits have suggested Hearts have the easiest run in before the split, as Celtic and Rangers are due to play each other on Sunday 1 March (12:00) at Ibrox.

The Gorgie side have four home fixtures coming up in the six games pre-split: Falkirk (H), Aberdeen (H), Kilmarnock (A), Dundee (H), Livingston (A), and Motherwell (H).

"We've now got some good games on paper coming up and it's important that we try and maximise the games coming up," McInnes said.

"And hopefully, as I said, going into the post-split games, when we play Rangers and Celtic again, there's still a fight to be won."

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Hearts have "big problems" at the moment, according to former midfielder Michael Stewart, as they struggle with injuries and new signings failing to hit the ground running.

Cammy Devlin, the tenacious midfielder who was enjoying a fine season, is out until the end of February while Lawrence Shankland, captain and top scorer, faces a similar spell on the sidelines.

Without them, Hearts have won just two of their last five in the league and their lead at the top of the table has been cut to just two points.

"Hearts are missing a few players, it's causing them big problems," Stewart said.

"Their signings... I'm not sure about some of the guys that Hearts have brought in. They needed them to come and hit the ground running, and it's definitely not happened.

"[Islam] Chesnokov is one that we've spoken about a lot. He's played a couple of games now, and I've not seen him take a full-back on once yet. Ageu's been in since the summer, he's had injury problems.

"Hearts are a team that have intensity in their play, in regards to physicality, and they've got a real threat at the top of the park. I'm not sure that I'm seeing it with those guys."

Up top, Shankland has been replaced by Pierre Landry Kabore - a summer arrival - and while he scored two against Dundee United, he has struggled to fill the captain's shoes.

"Kabore doesn't look like a real threat up top when Shankland's missing. [Jordi] Altena's come in with a lot of hype, a highly-regarded fullback. Not sure that the manager's convinced about him.

"I can understand why he's wanting to have the sort of more physical presence in there. But then he came on [against Rangers] to play a bit higher up and, again, he never took anyone on."

In the past five games, Hearts have fielded Harry Milne, Oisin McEntee and Chesnokov on the right flank. Milne has mainly featured at left-back this season, with McEntee floating between right-back and central midfield.

"Right-midfield has been a problem position for Hearts all season long, and I'm not sure that they've solved it yet. And without Shankland, centre forward is an issue."

• Michael Stewart was speaking on the Scottish Football Podcast, available here.

We asked you Hearts fans for your opinions on the 4-2 loss to Rangers at Ibrox. Here's a taste of what you had to say...

Chris: For all Derek McInnes' media talk, he has got this all wrong in terms of tactics and personnel. His obsession with playing Michael Steinwender at right-back needs studied and Ageu could have been sat next to me watching the game. Deserved nothing and got exactly that.

Steve: Tactics and line-up woefully wrong. We have stopped playing our own game and started to counter what we think our opponents are going to do - depressing. Rangers got a few lucky breaks for goals today but zero complaints with the result, we were miles off the pace for the third game running.

Oliver: Deserved to lose. You have to question the bottle of some players and the management team who seem to be panicking at every turn. That's a very average Rangers team we made look like a team of world-beaters.

Jamie: Poor. Rangers have spent millions to get themselves back into it while we have our best players injured or chasing shadows and we can't seem to catch any breaks. Islam Chesnokov and Ageu were brutal and Steinwender at right back will see us finish sixth at this rate. Bad day all around.

Trevor: It was always a tough ask for us to come to Ibrox and get three points, but with those tactics and that lineup - we beat ourselves. Claudio Braga was fantastic and deserved more, we miss Lawrence Shankland badly and football just isn't fair sometimes.

Frank: To keep our challenge up we need to dispatch Falkirk and Aberdeen next - two of the few clubs who have beaten us this season. Realistically we are punching above our weight and need the Old Firm to lose nerve, but under their new managers I don't think that's likely.

I've enjoyed the ride so far but have never got carried away. If you'd told me at the beginning of the season that we would be disappointed with third place I'd have laughed out loud.

Albert: We've sadly run out of steam at the business end of the season. Credit where it's due to the manager but the Glasgow giants look too strong this season. Long project so all's not lost for us.

Rangers overcome leaders Hearts in a thrilling Scottish Premiership encounter (UK users only).

Derek McInnes gave an update on injured players Cammy Devlin and Lawrence Shankland following Saturday's 4-2 defeat by Rangers at Ibrox.

Australia midfielder Devlin, 27, and Scotland forward Shankland, 30, have not featured since January.

"Lawrence will probably be the back end of March," said McInnes of his captain.

"Cammy's got a chance of being back for Aberdeen [on 28 February]."

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