Hearts 3-1 Motherwell: Jam Tarts stake claim to top spot ahead of split

Hearts 3-1 Motherwell: Jam Tarts stake claim to top spot ahead of split

Hearts pulled off a superb 3-1 comeback win at home to Motherwell yesterday, with late goals from Lawrence Shankland and Pierre Landry Kaboré proving vital.

Motherwell took the lead early in the second half, through Emmanuel Longelo, but Cláudio Braga quickly levelled the scores for the hosts.

This result means that Hearts will be top of the Scottish Premiership table heading into the split.

As It Happened

Motherwell had the better of the early going in the match; however, they also picked up the first card of the game, which went to Paul McGinn for a foul on Braga. It was Hearts full-back Oisin McEntee who registered the first shot on target of the afternoon after 20 minutes when he saw his header well saved by Calum Ward. Alexander Schwolow was then called into action twice in quick succession for Hearts, denying Motherwell pair Ibrahim Said and Elliot Watt.

It wasn’t long until the hosts had another chance, however, but Blair Spittal couldn’t keep his right-footed effort on target, bringing a cagey first-half to a close.

The SPFL’s top scorer this season, Tawanda Maswanhise, came close straight after the break but couldn’t hit the target from a tight angle. Minutes later, however, Longelo opened the scoring for Motherwell when he fired past Schwolow and into the bottom corner from close range, following a lovely square ball from Lukas Fadinger.

Craig Halkett went in search of a rapid equaliser for Hearts, but his header drifted just over the crossbar. Jam Tarts fans didn’t have to wait too long for their equaliser, when Braga headed home his 14th league goal of the season on the hour mark. A double change followed for Hearts that saw Spittal and Alexandros Kyziridis replaced by Sabah Kerjota and Kaboré.

Kaboré almost made an immediate impact from the bench, but his header flew wide of the post. The hosts made another double change in the 79th minute, this time replacing Stephen Kingsley and McEntee with Jordi Altena and Michael Steinwender. Said picked up the second booking of the day shortly after, having brought Cameron Devlin down in a wide area.

Hearts were then awarded a penalty, and following a lengthy VAR check, Shankland calmly netted from the spot to give his side a lead late in the day. Motherwell responded by making four substitutions at once, which saw Tom Sparrow, Longelo, Said and Fadinger withdrawn in favour of Oscar Priestman, Sam Nicholson, Callum Hendry and Jordan McGhee.

All three points were sealed for the hosts in the 92nd minute, when Kaboré slotted past Ward following a rapid counter-attack. The Burkina Faso international was then booked for taking his shirt off in celebration, a dramatic end to a superb game of football, which only adds further excitement to the title race.