Hearts 1 Motherwell 2

Motherwell came from behind to record a fourth straight victory in the Clydesdale Bank Premier League with victory at Hearts which moves them nine points clear of the Tynecastle side.

Chris Porter scored shortly after the interval to cancel out Andrew Driver's first-half opener and unfortunate Hearts captain Marius Zaliukas then applied the finishing touch to turn home Ross McCormack's shot midway through the second half.

Hearts changed their goalkeeper for the third time in four matches with third-choice Eduardas Kurskis making his debut in place of Anthony Basso, who dropped to the bench after his error against Celtic last week.

The Lithuanian's inclusion was one of five changes made by the Tynecastle side, with midfielder Michael Stewart returning from suspension with Andrius Velicka, Eggert Jonsson and Saulius Mikoliunas also starting.

Ibrahim Tall, Ruben Palazuelos, Christian Nade and goalkeeper Basso all dropped to the bench, while Laryea Kingston lost out in his battle for fitness.

Manager of the month Mark McGhee named an unchanged Motherwell team from the 3-0 win against Gretna, including young player of the month McCormack.

Driver hooked an early effort over the bar from the left side of the box, while Motherwell's first chance was a McCormack effort, stemming from Stephen Hughes' ball into the box, which resulted in the same outcome.

Hearts took the lead from a pacy move on 11 minutes, when Velicka burst down the right flank and fired the ball across the penalty box, where Driver was racing to smash home a diagonal volley.

McCormack side-footed over the bar from just outside the box after a Motherwell break on 17 minutes, but the rest of the first quarter was largely a midfield battle.

Motherwell goalkeeper Graeme Smith rushed out of his box on 27 minutes to boot clear after Driver seized on

Jonsson's long ball lofted forward from midfield found Driver racing between the centre-halves and preparing to shoot.

Smith made an excellent stop to prevent Velicka doubling Hearts' lead four minutes later, bravely blocking the striker's effort from 12 yards.

The loose ball bounced back to Velicka but hit his arm before he put it wide of the right-hand post.

Kurskis was called into action as he rose spectacularly to fingertip the ball over the bar after Stephen Craigan's header from a McCormack corner spun off Marius Zaliukas' foot, and minutes later he snatched the ball away from the on-rushing David Clarkson in the six-yard box.

McCormack was inches away from an equaliser just two minutes into the second half, by then being contested in a snow flurry, as the Motherwell striker won a free-kick 22 yards from goal but saw it sail agonisingly over the bar.

The same player hit a tame shot wide of the right-hand post, but then helped set up Motherwell's 52nd-minute equaliser.

McCormack won a corner on the left and played it on to Hughes, whose cross was allowed to reach Clarkson, and he in turned fired it through the crowded box towards Porter who headed home from close range.

Hearts introduced Nade just after the hour but he missed the opportunity to make an instant impact.

Audrius Ksanavicius threaded the ball to Stewart who burst through midfield and into the box before releasing an inviting pass for the substitute, but he failed to connect and Mark Reynolds was able to clear.

Motherwell took the lead midway through the second half when Steve McGarry kept the ball in play at the right byline and crossed to the far post, where McCormack turned it towards the net from close range.

The final touch which took it over the line came from the foot of Zaliukas as he tried to clear on the line.

Jonsson hit the bar just a minute after the visitors' goal, and with the pitch becoming more slippery by the minute in the relentless winter downpour, the Hearts fans howled in vain for a penalty when Ksanavicius slipped in the box.

Jonsson then shot just over the bar as the game entered its final 15 minutes, while a Berra shot initially slipped out of the arms of Smith in the deteriorating conditions, but he scrambled out to his right to gather the ball at the second attempt.

Hearts dominated possession late on but saw a 20-yard free-kick from Stewart drift harmlessly onto the roof of the net.

Nade's cross from the right in the final minute ran all the way across goal before substitute Kestutis Ivaskevicius could turn it home.

Teams:

Hearts Kurskis, Neilson, Zaliukas, Berra, Goncalves,Mikoliunas (Nade 62), Stewart, Jonsson (Ivaskevicius 83),Driver, Ksanavicius, Velicka (Elliot 78).

Subs Not Used: Basso, Wallace, Tall, Palazuelos.

Booked: Ksanavicius, Goncalves.

Goals: Driver 12.

Motherwell Graeme Smith, Quinn, Reynolds, Craigan, Paterson,O'Donnell, Hughes, McGarry, Clarkson, Porter, McCormack.

Subs Not Used: Meldrum, Corrigan, Brian McLean, Lasley,

Fitzpatrick, Darren Smith, Murphy.

Booked: Paterson, Hughes.

Goals: Porter 53, Zaliukas 67 og.

Att: 16,633

Ref: C Thomson (Scotland).

Taken from sportinglife.com