Hartley runs show for Hearts

Match details

Hibernian (0) 0 Hearts (1) 4

The 104 years that separate Hibernian from their last Scottish Cup success is of less importance to Tony Mowbray and his squad this morning than how long it will take them to recover from this comprehensive crushing by Hearts, who strode imperiously into next month's final at Hampden Park - where they will be overwhelming favourites against Second Division Gretna - and netted four goals against their Edinburgh rivals for the third time this season.

Hibs were praying for the final whistle long before they collapsed completely in the closing quarter, when they were reduced to nine men by the dismissals of Ivan Sproule and Gary Smith as Hearts ran them ragged. Paul Hartley's three goals - one from the penalty spot - garnished a commanding performance by the Tyne-castle and Scotland midfield orchestrator. The goalkeeping error by Zbigniew Malkowski, which provided a gift to Edgaras Jankauskas for the other Hearts strike simply put the lid on a truly ghastly afternoon for the Easter Road side.

Perhaps their fans had some premonition of the horrors which were to unfold because, although Hibs had reported only a few hundred tickets unsold on Friday, thousands of seats were empty in their section of the stadium. By full time, no more than a scattering of diehards remained.

Any doubt about the outcome was banished from the 27th minute, when Hartley began and finished the move which skewered Hibs for the opening goal. Badly depleted by the absence of important players - Scott Brown, Chris Killen and Michael Stewart were injured, Paul Dalglish cup-tied and Derek Riordan suspended - Hibs had withstood Hearts' opening rush and were looking increasingly bright until they were caught off balance by an astute counter-attack.

Abdessalam Benjelloun, the Moroccan forward whose training displays had pleased Mowbray, had to make his debut in demanding circumstances because of his manager's lack of options. He was still trying to get his bearings when he lost the ball to Jankauskas in the Hearts half.

Hartley fastened on to the ball and sent Rudi Skacel free on the left while he himself made a tracking infield run. The Hibs midfield, caught out by the speed of Hearts' thrust, could not shield their defenders and when Skacel cut the ball back towards the six-yard line, no green jersey was near Hartley as he eased the ball off the post and over the line.

Hibs had their chances, but most fell to Steven Whittaker, reassigned to midfield, who consistently missed from distance, although it took a good save from Craig Gordon to keep out one effort. Other-wise, the Easter Road players lacked the guile to salvage matters once they fell behind.

Their doom was guaranteed just before the hour mark when Hartley's free kick deceived Malkowski at his near post when everyone had expected him to cross to the back of the area. "I gave the keeper the eye and put it exactly where I wanted it to go," Hartley said.

Sproule departed, like half the Hibs support, 13 minutes from time, when he was shown a red card for stepping on to Saulius Mikoliunas ' back after the substitute had gone to ground. Gary Smith was also dismissed for a foul on Michael Pospisil, which gave Hartley his third, from a penalty converted with just three minutes left. Hearts' caretaker coach, Valdas Ivanauskas, evidently a graduate of the Jack Benny school of euphoria, said: "Starting now, we prepare to play Celtic on Wednesday - celebrations are for the end of the season. Winning the Scottish Cup will not give me the right to lead Hearts next season."

John McGlynn, the Lithuanian's assistant, said: "He's no' a happy chappie, is he? I think it's to do with the make-up of the place he comes from."

It was left to Vladimir Romanov, the Hearts owner, to sum up the occasion in characteristic style. "Glasgow has been the football capital, but I will do my best to make sure Edinburgh takes the crown. Today I saw the dream of my team playing football that was not physical. Our fans are the golden fans of Scottish football - I appre-ciate them more than all the oil and gas reserves of Russia."

Match details
Hibernian (4-4-2): Malkowski; Caldwell, Hogg, Smith, Murphy; Whittaker, Thomson, Glass (Konte 61), Fletcher; Benjalloun (Knode 69), Sproule.
Subs: Brown (g), McCluskey, Shields.
Booked: Thomson, Sproule.
Sent off: Sproule, Smith.
Hearts (4-4-2): Gordon; Neilson, Pressley (Fyssas h-t), Webster, Goncalves (Mikoliunas 68); Cesnauskis, Aguiar, Hartley, Skacel; Jankauskas, Elliot (Pospisil 83).
Subs: Banks (g), Camazzola.
Goals: Hartley (28, 59, 87 pen), Jankauskas (81).
Booked: Gordon, Hartley, Aguiar.
Referee: S Dougal.

Taken from telegraph.co.uk