Ten-man Hearts much the happier with a point

Already without the suspended Eggert Jonsson and Adrian Mrowiec and the injured Lee Wallace and Kevin Kyle, Hearts lost another first-choice player, Marian Kello, on the eve of the match when the goalkeeper suffered a back strain. Then in the game itself, as if they were not understrength enough already, they had to play with a man down for almost an hour after Marius Zaliukas was needlessly sent off for impeding Akpo Sodje in the box.

In those circumstances a narrow loss might have seemed no disgrace for Jim Jefferies's team, especially as Hibs exploited their numerical advantage patiently and intelligently, spreading the play from side to side in a bid to stretch Hearts to breaking point, and eventually taking the lead just 11 minutes from time.

But Jefferies does not do honourable defeats, especially against Hibs, and he has communicated that implacable attitude to his squad.

When, after numerous opportunities, Ricardo Vaz Te put his team 2-1 up, it seemed like an age since Hearts had mounted an attack. Nonetheless, it took them only four minutes to draw level, as Stephen Elliott's volley found the net after Andy Webster had nodded a Craig Thomson free-kick back across goal.

Hibs were by no means dispirited by that strike, and in the last three minutes of regulation time both Vaz Te and Derek Riordan had shots saved by Jamie MacDonald. Then, in time added on, Riordan got another chance in space at the back post.

If there is one player in the Hibs team who could be relied upon to get a first-time shot on target, it is Riordan. If there is one player who dreams of getting the opportunity to score a last-gasp winner against Hearts, it is Riordan. Yet on this occasion, all the striker could do was mis-hit a shot across the face of MacDonald's goal, and look on aghast as it spun out of play for a throw-in.

That incident was only the worst miss of several from an out-of-sorts Riordan, who was far from the only Hibs player to underperform on the big day.

Victor Palsson, the most impressive of Colin Calderwood's transfer-window signings thus far, rarely got to grips with the game in his first derby outing, while Liam Miller continued his run of unimpressive outings in the fixture. Fortunately for those two midfielders, their teammates Martin Scott and Matt Thornhill were in livelier form, but that pair were given too much to do against opponents who established an early grip on the game and might have had a penalty and at least a couple of goals by the time they took the lead.

Paul Hanlon had just won a clean tackle in the box on Elliott when the ball broke back to the Hearts striker. Hanlon tackled again, and the Irishman went down under contact, but referee Iain Brines waved his appeal for a spot-kick away.

Soon afterwards the ball broke to Elliott again, this time from a Craig Thomson corner, but the striker, stunned to find it reaching him through a ruck of bodies, could only chest it involuntarily to Mark Brown in the Hibs goal. A Thomson free-kick was then headed wide by Ismael Bouzid as Hearts kept up the pressure, while a long-range effort which Miller directed well wide of goal was about all Hibs could muster at that stage.

Midway through the half, Hearts made their superiority tell. Andrew Driver got a cross in from the left despite the attention of two defenders, and although Hanlon got his head to the ball before Elliott, it only went as far as Ryan Stevenson. Killing it with his first touch, Stevenson scored with his second, a low drive which was close to Brown but too fierce to allow him a realistic chance of keeping it out.

At that stage it was hard to envisage how Hibs might get back into the contest, but then the increasingly erratic Zaliukas enabled them to do so by conceding a penalty and getting himself sent off. Miller netted from the penalty spot, and the game had taken on a very different complexion.

Hearts reorganised well after going a man down, with full-back Jason Thomson replacing winger David Templeton and Bouzid moving from right-back to centre-half.

All the same, as the second half wore on they came under increasing pressure, and while they defended excellently at times, they were highly fortunate at others, particularly when Palsson shot over the bar when in the clear at the edge of the box.

Vaz Te had shown some nice touches since coming on in place of Scott for the second 45, mainly in approach work, but with just over ten minutes remaining he turned finisher. His first touch of a long ball into the box from fellow-substitute David Wotherspoon was not the best, but as MacDonald rushed out to close him down he still had the presence of mind to roll it past the keeper and into the net.

Elliott's riposte ensured that Hibs' celebrations were shortlived, and gave Hearts a point which nudges them that little bit closer to securing third place.

Taken from the Scotsman