Hearts were defeated in the Edinburgh Derby at Tynecastle on Sunday as Abbie Ferguson’s first half strike was enough to see the visitors take all three points.
There was a welcome return to the starting 11 for Katie Lockwood who lined up against her old club, she replaced Cailin Michie in the only change from last weekend’s match with Glasgow City.
Just at the game was getting underway at Tynecastle the heavens opened and it meant the early stages of the match were played in torrential conditions.
Hearts thought they had opened the scoring after 21 minutes when Kathleen McGovern powered home Ciara Grant’s corner, only for the whistle to blow for a foul in the build-up.
Georgia Timms was getting plenty of joy down the right and she almost broke the deadlock, six minutes before the break, after getting away from Mya Christie, she let fly but her shot was magnificently saved by Katie Fraine.
The Jambos came even closer two minutes later when neat play involving Lockwood, McGovern and Timms saw the latter poke the ball into the path of the onrushing Emma Brownlie but her effort lacked conviction and it flew high over the bar.
Hearts were punished for their missed chances as Hibs took the lead in the final minute of the half. A corner from the left found Ferguson at the back post and her effort went in via a deflection off Charlotte Parker-Smith.
Into the second half and Hearts huffed and puffed for that crucial equaliser but it continued to evade them in the final third.
Firstly, Georgia Timms’ low shot was too hot to handle for Fraine and when the ball dropped to Lockwood, her effort was brilliantly blocked by a Hibs defender on the hour mark.
Ten minutes later, Hearts went close again. Lockwood’s low cross from the right was perfect for McGovern and when her goalbound effort was blocked, the ball fell to substitute Sade Adamolekun, who’s curling effort went just wide.
Hearts almost snatched an equaliser at the death when Lockwood attempted to chip Fraine from a tight angle, but the Hibs stopper got just enough on it to claw the ball away from goal.
That was the way it stayed as Hibs held on to take all three points.
Hearts: Parker-Smith, Morgan, Brownlie, Grant ©, Rennie (Findlay, 75), Timms, Lockwood, Anderson (Adamolekun 56), Waldie (Hunter, 75), Girasoli, McGovern
Subs: Rodgers, Penman, Hunter, Adamolekun, Davies, Findlay, Cowan, Michie
Hibs: Fraine, Christie, Baucom, Eddie ©, Ferguson, McGregor, Doran-Barr, Bowie, Powell, Nunn, Lawson
Subs: Wilson, Leishman, Hunter, McAlonie, Adams, Notley, Murray, Livingstone
