Hearts 0 Dundee United 4

Dundee United stunned Hearts with a second-half goal blitz to ensure manager Craig Levein enjoyed a happy return to Tynecastle.

Captain Barry Robson notched a superb hat-trick while Noel Hunt also got on the scoresheet as United posted a stunning Bank of Scotland Premier League victory, a result Hearts legend Levein could hardly dare dream of.

The resulted dented the hosts' European aspirations and gave the Tayside club their first three points at Hearts for five years.

The only sour point of United's victory was the dismissal of midfielder David Robertson who was given his marching orders along with Hearts defender Ibrahim Tall for squaring up to each other.

Hearts had actually started more brightly, and registered their first effort on target in the eighth minute when Michal Pospisil headed Bruno Aguiar's corner ball straight at goalkeeper Derek Stillie.

United responded two minutes later when Hunt drilled a shot at Craig Gordon after being teed up by Steven Robb, but the Scotland goalkeeper easily dealt with the low effort.

In a scrappy opening period, there was very little between the two sides but Hearts enjoyed the better chances.

Andrius Velicka then blasted a shot over the bar in the 15th minute after latching onto Pospisil's flick-on.

Hearts survived a scare in the 26th minute when David McCracken's free-kick found its way through to Hunt at the back post but his effort, at full stretch, rebounded off the post.

Ibrahim Tall did his best to influence proceedings with a marauding run from right back which was ended when he was upended by Christian Kalvenes.

Aguiar wasted the free-kick by blasting the set-piece high into the stand behind Stillie's goal.

The game took an ugly twist when Tall and Robertson were both shown straight red cards in the 33rd minute for an off-the-ball incident seconds after Aguiar's free-kick.

Referee Mackay's decision to take such action meant both sets of players headed for the tunnel in disbelief.

The hosts made a bright start to the second period and United goalkeeper Stillie pulled off a great save to push Linas Pilibaitis' volley past the post when a corner was only partially cleared.

From the resulting set-piece, Robb broke on the counter-attack and fed Robson who drilled the ball beyond Gordon into the net from an angle in the 52nd minute.

Hearts looked to restore parity seconds later but Andy Driver's shot inside the box was well blocked by Stillie.

Hearts looked vulnerable at the back as they continued with a three-man defence.

Robson then turned provider for Hunt in the 58th minute but the Irishman hit his shot wide from 16 yards.

The game swung from end to end as Aguiar missed the target from 18 yards minutes later before United striker Daly headed an effort over Gordon's bar at the other end.

Hearts supporters were then heading for the exits in the 60th minute when Robson scored his second, accepting Daly's pass on the edge of the box before placing the ball through Gordon's legs.

There was no let-up from United despite storming into a two-goal lead, and Hunt added a third goal for the visitors in the 71st minute to leave Hearts stunned.

Robb's teasing cross was just missed by Robson but Hunt pounced at the back post to rifle the ball into the net past the hapless Gordon.

Robson then celebrated a superb hat-trick in the 79th minute after being allowed to run into the box by substitute Christos Karipidis before hitting a right-footed shot past Gordon, compounding the misery for Hearts.

Teams:

Hearts Gordon, Tall, Zaliukas (Karipidis 68), Berra,Goncalves, Mikoliunas, Aguiar, Pilibaitis, Driver,Pospisil (Glen 62), Velicka (Jankauskas 46).

Subs Not Used: Banks, Ivaskevicius, Jonsson, Armstrong.

Sent Off: Tall (33).

Booked: Mikoliunas.

Dundee Utd Stillie, Dillon, Wilkie, McCracken, Kalvenes,Hunt (Watson 90), Kerr, Robertson, Robson, Robb (Samuel 72),Daly.

Subs Not Used: McLean, Mair, Duff, Goodwillie, Gomis.

Sent Off: Robertson (33).

Booked: Robb.

Goals: Robson 51, 59, Hunt 70, Robson 78.

Att: 17,172

Ref: C MacKay (Scotland).

Taken from sportinglife.com