Hearts 3 Aberdeen 0: New Hearts beat as one

Hartley was suspended, while Skacel and Fyssas arrived at the ground suffering flu-like symptoms and were sent home again. So we were introduced to Mirsad Beslija, who flitted in and out of the game on the right of midfield before being stretchered off nine minutes from the end after an innocuous challenge, although Rix could shed no light on the severity of the injury after the match. The other debutant, Jose Goncalves, is a muscular, athletic left-back who was impressively diligent and assured. With each passing decision, Rix is exerting a greater influence on the side. “When you think of the players we had out, it shows what a great performance it was,” he said with satisfaction. “It was a big decision to leave Rudi and Takis out, but the lads who came in did a great job.”

The visitors left nursing grievances against the officials. Stevie Crawford was denied a penalty when Aberdeen were only a goal down, and their players were adamant that when Zander Diamond clipped Michal Pospisil’s ankles just before half-time, the incident occurred outside the box. Yet the defender saw red and Kenny Clark, the referee, pointed to the spot. After the final whistle, Russell Anderson remonstrated with one linesman and Jimmy Calderwood refused to shake hands with the other. “He’s an honest lad, Crawford, and he said it was a stonewaller,” the Aberdeen manager moaned. “If you get it and their boy is sent off, it’s a different story.”

When Vladimir Romanov took his seat in the directors box before kick-off, he shook his fist, awkwardly but triumphantly. On a day when the Scottish Cup continued to yield itself to the underdogs, perhaps he sensed the competition’s potential to be a triumphant one for his club. Hearts, after all, were the last team outwith the Old Firm to win it, when they lifted the trophy in 1998.

It was the visitors who imposed their will on the game first, though. Barry Nicholson surged towards the front post and almost made contact with Richard Foster’s cutback, and Scott Severin tugged a 25-yard free kick off target. Crawford later lashed a Jamie Smith lay-off wide.

For the second consecutive week a side learned that Hearts will punish wastefulness. When Calum Elliot collected possession on the right, Kevin McNaughton laxly allowed him to edge to the byline and whip a cross into the centre. Then Diamond reacted sluggishly as Pospisil veered in front of him to volley past Jamie Langfield.

The goal did not dull Aberdeen’s inclination, but their mood soured. When Crawford adroitly pulled the ball down in the box, he appeared to be clearly yanked by Andy Webster. To the visitors’ incredulity, play was waved on. “When you’re in the six-yard box and ready to shoot, there’s no reason you’d go down,” complained Crawford.

The game was played at an unsettling pace, and Hearts were better equipped to control its rhythms. They were aided by Aberdeen’s indecision.

Having seen McNaughton’s hesitancy cause a goal, Chris Clark should have been more vigilant, but he allowed Deividas Cesnauskis to dance impishly around him and pull back a cross that Elliot rushed in to steer home. “Two very similar goals,” sighed Calderwood. “We have to look at our defending.”

There was further dismay. Elliot held off a group of Aberdeen defenders to smuggle a pass through to Pospisil and, as he hared towards goal, Diamond sent him tumbling. As the defender hammered the side of the tunnel on his way to the dressing room, Steven Pressley tucked away the penalty.

Calderwood asked his players to show some pride and character in the second half, yet some urgency seeped from Hearts’ play, too. They left Nicholson unguarded in the area, but he wildly shot over. Even when a corner broke off the startled Robbie Neilson inside Hearts’ six-yard box, the ball spun wide rather than into the net past Craig Gordon. Fate was not on Aberdeen’s side.

STAR MAN: Calum Elliot (Hearts)

Player ratings. Hearts: Gordon 6, Neilson 6, Pressley 7, Webster 7, Goncalves 7, Beslija 6 (Wallace 82min, 6), Johnson 6, Brellier 7 (McAllister 62min, 6), Cesnauskis 6, Elliot 7 (Makela 51min, 6), Pospisil 7

Aberdeen: Langfield 5, Clark 5, Diamond 5, Anderson 6, McNaughton 5, Nicholson 5, Griffin 6 (McAuley 63min, 6), Severin 6, Foster 5 (Stewart h-t, 6), Crawford 6, Smith 5 (Snojl 90min, 6)

Booked: Goncalves 65

Sent off: Diamond 44

Referee: K Clark

Attendance: 17,353

Taken from timesonline.co.uk