Hearts had to dig deep to keep all three points in Gorgie against St Johnstone on Saturday afternoon.
A classic game of two halves, the Jambos took a two-goal advantage into the break courtesy of James Wilson and Laurent Mendy.
St Johnstone hit back early in the second-half through Ruari Paton and despite tired legs showing, thanks to Wednesday night’s extra time, Hearts held on under pressure to record a 2-1 win.
Head Coach Wouter Vrancken made four changes from the side that produced European heroics midweek in Vienna. Christian Borchgrevink, Tomas Magnusson, Sabah Kerjota and Laurent Mendy all came in for Jamie McCart, Calvin Miller, Tom Renaud and Blair Spittal.
The Jambos were denied a certain opener only seven minutes in. Jordi Altena’s corner was nodded back across the middle by Magnusson for Mendy to bullet a head of his own on target, but Toby Steward in the St Johnstone goal was able to tip the ball over the bar.
Two minutes later that first goal came and it was for the boys in maroon. Zach Mitchell’s pass out of defence went straight to the feet of Josh McPake, who found Wilson unmarked and in space inside the box and he calmy slotted beyond Steward to put Hearts 1-0 up.
Kerjota went close to doubling the lead soon after, weaving his way into the St Johnstone penalty area, away from several yellow shirts, before pulling the trigger but his shot was straight at Steward.
Mendy was in his element in the middle of the park, controlling proceedings and rightly taking the plaudits. 25 minutes in he tried his luck from long range and had Steward scrambling, flinging himself to his right to push the ball around the post.
The visitors looked unfazed, however, and pressed in search of an equaliser. They capitalised on a loose ball to send a long ball into the box for the unmarked Jamie Gullan to shoot first time but he didn’t catch it cleanly and sent the ball wide of Beau Reus’ right-hand post.
There were huge shouts for a penalty just after the half hour mark when Borchgrevink took the ball inside the opposition box and knocked it past his man before appearing to be bodychecked, but referee Ryan Lee waved play on.
Not long after, the Jam Tarts were presented with a set piece opportunity bang on centre, 20-yards out. Altena stepped up and curled an effort towards the top corner but Steward pulled off another good save.
From the resultant corner, Mendy appeared to have outjumped Steward inside the six-yard box to head home for the Jambos’ second, but the referee blew for a foul on the ‘keeper.
Not to be denied his first goal in maroon, Mendy did score with five minutes of the half remaining. He was quickest to react to a cross into the St Johnstone six-yard box, following the ball in to divert it beyond Steward to make it 2-0.
It could’ve been 3-0 minutes later when McPake sprung the offside trap to go through on goal but Steward produced another good save, turning the forward’s effort around the post.
There was still time for Kerjota to cut inside the rocket an effort past the far post as the Jambos went into the break two goals to the good.
That deficit was halved only three minutes into the restart. Slack defending allowed Paton to run onto a headed ball over the top and he fired past Reus from inside the box.
Reus came to the rescue on the hour mark after another long ball over the top caused chaos, this time Josh Fowler ran into the box but the keeper did enough to prevent him from taking a shot at goal, instead cutting back for Paton to pull the trigger only for Reus to get two hands to it.
Substitute Kabore was inches away from extending the lead following some tremendous running from Altena to get round the back of his man and to the byline, his cross took a deflection off a yellow shirt before being pushed away by Steward, and with the ball hanging in the air the keeper was somehow able to get a fist to it in front of Kabore’s head.
The woodwork then came to the visitors’ rescue. Fellow sub Spittal was teed up 25-yards out and he cracked a rocket shot back off the crossbar.
Reus was alert enough to punch away a swerving free kick from underneath his crossbar as the game entered a nervy final ten minutes.
A late Hearts break saw Claudio Braga curl an effort over the bar from outside the box as the Jambos held on for the win and to make it unbeaten in six ahead of Thursday’s Edinburgh derby.
Hearts: Reus, Borchgrevink, McEntee, Braga, McPake, Findlay, Wilson (Kabore, 57’), Magnusson, Altena, Kerjota (Miller, 81’), Mendy (Spittal, 57’).
Subs: Fulton, Williams, Guendouz, Kamson-Kamara, Mato, Ba-Sy.
St Johnstone: Steward, Alic, Diabate, Mitchell, Holt, Fowler, Gullan (Steven, 73’), Stanton (Tait, 73’), Smith (Chalmers, 92'), McAlear, Paton (Fotheringham, 73’).
Subs: Sinclair, Boyes, Mikulic, Foulds, Todd.
