Hearts earn top billing after third straight victory

The Edinburgh Festival is no time to make predictions about how the Scottish football will look at the end of the season, but on current form Heart of Midlothian are entitled to bill themselves the best show in town.

This morning they sit proudly on top of the Scottish Premier League with nine points and a positive goal difference to match after they swept aside Dundee United, one of Scotland's Uefa Cup representatives, in a 3-0 win at Tannadice yesterday. Hearts leapfrogged Rangers, whose defeat by Aberdeen at Pittodrie yesterday saw them drop to third with Celtic second after their 3-1 home victory over Falkirk on Saturday. Those who raised eyebrows when the club was taken over earlier this year by the Lithuanian banker, Vladimir Romanov, with the stated aim of building a team to rival the Old Firm, must acknowledge the brio with which Hearts have begun their campaign. Supporters of the Glasgow pair are already asking how it is that George Burley has integrated his new faces so swiftly while their reinforcements have yet to gel.

Yesterday saw the introduction of another two, Takis Fyssas and Michal Pospisil, into a Hearts side that took the lead after only six minutes with a header from their captain, Steven Pressley, and Roman Bednar added a second soon afterwards following fine work by Saulius Mikoliunas. It was by no means a one-way traffic but United could not match their opponents' finishing - former Tynecastle favourite Lee Miller had the ball in the net early in the second half but was ruled offside - during a spell of over half an hour when Hearts were largely in their own half.

The third goal, a drive by Rudi Skacel almost on full time, sent the Hearts fans back to the capital in euphoric mood, having played their own part by filling their allocation of 5000 seats in the away section at Tannadice. The club also announced yesterday that it had sold 11,008 season tickets, thus fulfilling another stage of the Romanov master plan to build a commercial base capable of sustaining a challenge to the Old Firm. Hearts manager George Burley said: "Our fans were wonderful again. They were singing loudly long before the kick-off and it is a great encouragement to the players, especially the new lads, to have such backing.

"The fans are enjoying what they're seeing. That's 11 goals in three games and it was a good performance, but it's very early days. We've won three games but I still think that, if we can qualify for Europe by finishing third, it will have been a great season. We've got our feet on the ground as there's still a lot of work to do.''

Hearts' sprint start is in sharp contrast to the uncertain form of both Glasgow sides. Celtic's stutters were in evidence again when they fell behind to newly promoted Falkirk in the first half at Parkhead on Saturday. Mo Camara, who has a long way to go to convince Celtic fans that he is of the quality required to replace Jackie McNamara at left back, toppled Darryl Duffy as the Falkirk forward broke into the box and Duffy himself converted the penalty.

Aside from a few early minutes played with pace and penetration, the highlight of which was a Paul Telfer half-volley touched round a post by Matt Glennon, Celtic were all approach and no finish and there were jeers from their supporters as they left the field at the interval. Gordon Strachan, the Celtic manager, told his front pair of John Hartson and Maciej Zurawski to become more mobile in the box and he also demanded better service from the flanks.

"We were too static. The first half was played pretty much the way I had imagined it, except that Falkirk scored," said Strachan. Asked if his forwards looked so ponderous because they were not yet used to each other's style of play, Strachan replied: "Sometimes it's laziness, but anyway it was sorted out quickly although Falkirk continued to make it tricky for us".

Shunsuke Nakamura's fine cross was headed home by Hartson within three minutes of the restart and two spectacular goals by Alan Thompson, the second a free-kick, secured three points ahead of Saturday's derby with Rangers at Ibrox. Thompson, irritated by catcalls from the crowd and aware that he was about to be substituted, cupped his ear to the fans after his opener but Strachan was forgiving.

"A manager would have to be insane to substitute Alan Thompson," he said wryly. "He was annoyed at being booked just before and I told him to channel his anger. I said if he scored he could do a daft dance round the ref if he liked".

Elsewhere, a Kris Boyd double and goals by Alan Johnston and Gary McDonald for Kilmarnock outdistanced Motherwell, whose consolation in a 4-1 defeat at Rugby Park was David Clarkson's first-half strike. Inverness Caledonian Thistle kept up their momentum when Liam Fox scored the only goal of their visit to Dunfermline and Hibernian bounced back after last week's whipping by Hearts to beat Livingston 3-0 with goals from David Murphy, Dean Shield and Garry O'Connor.

Taken from telegraph.co.uk