Tall order as Hearts keep eyes on Europe

Motherwell (0) 0 Heart of Midlothian (1) 2

Hearts remained in fourth place but moved eight points clear of derby rivals Hibernian after this hard-fought but ultimately merited victory at Fir Park. A first-half header from Ibrahim Tall and an own goal by Motherwell captain after the break ensured a fourth successive win in this fixture and kept alive their slim Champions League aspirations.

The contest marked the introduction of Anatoly Korobochka as this week's head coach of Hearts and the visitors' play was every bit as disjointed as one might expect of a team who have worked under eight coaches in two years.

Driving rain and an uneven playing surface hardly helped either side and the early exchanges were notable more for bad-tempered exchanges and ill-timed challenges than for any flowing football.
Korobochka's competence may even have been called into question by owner Vladimir Romanov midway through the first half when Motherwell ought to have taken the lead.

Ross McCormack's defence-splitting pass left Jim Paterson with only Craig Gordon to beat but the midfielder, attempting to take the ball round the goalkeeper, saw it skid away from him on the greasy pitch.

Much of the play was bogged down, literally, in midfield but Andrew Driver squandered a couple of decent half-chances and, from one of them, Hearts eventually took the lead seven minutes from the interval.

Graeme Smith had spread himself to turn Driver's shot behind after the winger had carried the ball too wide and left himself with too obtuse an angle. Slack marking from the resulting corner saw Senegalese defender Ibrahim Tall head home at the near post from Laryea Kingston's inswinger.

For all of manager Maurice Malpas' exhortations from the touchline, the home side were reduced, for the most part, to shooting from distance and, even allowing for the conditions, Gordon coped comfortably with everything.

Hearts needed to win by four goals to overtake Aberdeen and they moved closer to that target when Kingston conjured up a second. He jinked down the right wing and delivered an inviting cross which Calum Elliot was about to convert until Northern Ireland defender Stephen Craigan, attempting to clear, sliced into his own net. Elliot had spent the first half of the season on loan at Fir Park and clearly relished his return more than the home support, who at least had the consolation of seeing him cautioned for handball.

Match details

Motherwell (4-4-2): G Smith; Corrigan, Craigan, Reynolds, Murphy (Molloy 65); D Smith, Vadocz, Kerr (McBride h-t), Paterson; Clarkson, McCormack.
Subs: Martin (g/k), Keegan, McGarry, Quinn, Fitzpatrick.
Booked: Kerr, Craigan, Corrigan, McCormack.
Hearts (4-4-2): Gordon; Tall (Kancelskis 77), Zaliukas, Berra, Wallace; Ivaskevicius (Jonsson 65), Kingston, Pilibaitis, Driver; Elliot, Jankauskas (Posapisil h-t).
Subs: Banks (g/k), Fyssas, Glen, Mackie.
Booked: Ivaskevicius, Elliot, Pilibaitis, Gordon
Referee: Stuart Dougal.

Taken from telegraph.co.uk