Hearts 3 Dundee United 0

Hearts stormed back to the top of the Bank of Scotland Premier League with a convincing 3-0 win over hapless Dundee United at Tannadice.

First half goals from midfielders Paul Hartley and Rudi Skacel gave the Gorgie club a comfortable half-time lead and when striker Michal Pospisil grabbed a third after the interval there was no way back for the struggling Taysiders.

Tannadice midfielder Barry Robson even spurned two chances from a penalty, Hearts keeper Craig Gordon blocking the first attempt before saving the former Inverness Caledonian Thistle player's headed attempt from the rebound.

The Edinburgh club had been embroiled in off-field problems all week with the departure of chairman George Foulkes and chief executive Phil Anderton but there was an immediate reply to last week's defeat at Hibs, their first league reversal of the season.

The Jambos now lead Celtic by three points, although the Parkhead men have a game in hand.

The signs were there for the visitors as early as the fourth minute when Hearts stormed into the lead through Hartley.

The purposeful Saulius Mikoliunas drove at the Tannadice defence and his clever reverse pass at the edge of the visitors' penalty area found the on-rushing Scottish international who confidently slipped his shot past United goalkeeper Derek Stillie from 12 yards out.

The goal sparked the stunned Taysiders into life and they almost struck back immediately but striker Lee Miller's unconvincing header from a Barry Robson cross went wide of the target.

The match took time to settle and in the 15th minute Jambos Greek defender Takis Fyssas moved up to send a speculative 30-yard shot inches over the bar.

Five minutes later home defender Robbie Neilson did well to clear the danger from another dangerous Robson free-kick as United increased the pressure on the Hearts' defence.

But the Edinburgh side rallied and Skacel's 25-yard thunderbolt with his left foot, after picking up a Neilson short corner, had Stillie diving to save the shot with what appeared to be his elbow.

However, the United keeper was less impressive in the 26th minute when the Edinburgh men doubled their lead with something of a freak goal.

Skacel chipped in what seemed to be a relatively innocuous free-kick from around 35 yards in the hope of finding the head of one of his team mates but the ball carried on through untouched until the flailing Stillie, clearly caught unawares, could only help the ball into the net.

The game looked over already for the hapless Taysiders and just after the half-hour mark Fyssas set up Skacel inside the United penalty area but this time the Czech Republic international's angled shot went high over the bar.

Just before the interval Skacel's angled shot from almost on the by-line had Stillie saving again before the danger was eventually cleared by David McCracken.

After the interval there was no immediate signs that the visitors were going to make a dent in Hearts' comfortable lead.

The willing Pospisil then failed with a couple of chances to get a shot away in a packed United penalty area before Neilson blazed a loose ball over the bar from 16 yards.

In the 50th minute Robson, the most impressive visitor, drew a great save from Gordon which a curling shot from 25 yards which the Scottish international flew through the air to clutch at the top corner.

For the first time in weeks, the chant of 'Vladimir Romanov' rang round Tynecastle as the home fans paid homage to the Edinburgh club's majority shareholder and de facto owner.

And in the 57th minute the home side made sure of the points when Pospisil made it 3-0 with a simple tap-in, a tangible reward for all his previous hard work.

Hartley charged down Archibald's attempted clearance from defence leaving him with a clear run in on goal and when the Jambos midfielder squared the ball 12 yards out the Czech Republic striker had the easiest of tasks stroking the ball past Stillie.

The visitors couldn't even score with the help of a penalty. In the 65th minute Gorgie skipper Steven Pressley clumsily tripped Robson inside the Jambos penalty area and the United midfielder took the spot-kick himself.

Robson's powerful drive down the middle was brilliantly parried by Gordon and to the delight of the home fans, the Scottish international was equal to Robson's second attempt with the head.

In the 82nd minute Pospisil headed Mikoliunas's cross against the bar from only 10 yards out before again carelessly sending the rebound over.

Then Stillie made a fine double save, first from Elliot and then substitute Stephen Simmons, who had replaced Pospisil - but it was too little, too late.

Teams:

Hearts Gordon, Neilson, Fyssas, Pressley, Webster, Skacel (McAllister 81), Hartley (Wallace 75), Mikoliunas, Pospisil (Simmons 84), Elliot, Brellier.

Subs Not Used: Banks, Camazzola, Cesnauskis, Tall.

Booked: Brellier.

Goals: Hartley 4, Skacel 28, Pospisil 57.

Dundee Utd Stillie, McCracken, Archibald, Canero, Kerr, Brebner (McInnes 32), Miller, Robson, Fernandez (Wilson 69), Samuel, Ritchie.

Subs Not Used: Samson, McIntyre, Duff, Kenneth, Robertson.

Booked: Canero.

Att: 16,617

Ref: C Thomson (Scotland).

Taken from sportinglife.com