Hearts and St Mirren Share Points in Thrilling Scottish Premiership Clash
Hearts fought back twice and had a potential late winner disallowed, as their lead at the top of the Scottish Premiership was reduced to six points following a dramatic draw against St Mirren.
Following their impressive victory over Celtic on Sunday, discussions centered around the Tynecastle side's title aspirations. The question arose: could they replicate that success in this midweek fixture?
St Mirren, managed by Derek McInnes, started the match with vigor and nearly took the lead when Beni Baningime's shot struck the post.
However, it was St Mirren, who had suffered three consecutive losses, that opened the scoring with a spectacular overhead kick from Dan Nlundulu, which found the back of the net past goalkeeper Alexander Schwolow.
St Mirren's lead lasted only six minutes, as they failed to effectively clear a cross. A heavy touch from Keanu Baccus allowed Hearts captain Lawrence Shankland to capitalize, scoring his ninth goal of the season from close range.
Shankland had another excellent opportunity at the beginning of the second half, but his shot from a tight angle was saved by St Mirren's goalkeeper Shamal George.
This miss ignited a surge from St Mirren, leading to a corner kick that resulted in Miguel Freckleton restoring their lead with a powerful strike.
Freckleton nearly extended that lead shortly after, heading a Killian Phillips free-kick against the post, before following up to score. However, the goal was disallowed after a VAR review, with referee Matthew MacDermid ruling that Mark O'Hara was offside and had interfered with play.
The disappointment for St Mirren was palpable, especially when Alexandros Kyziridis' curling shot was tipped onto the crossbar, allowing Claudio Braga to head home his ninth goal of the season.
In the closing minutes, Hearts believed they had secured a late winner when Pierre Landry Kabore scored from close range, but another VAR check ruled the goal offside.
Analysis: Hearts Ride Luck and Rely on Belief
The pivotal question was whether Hearts could build on their significant win over Celtic.
The narrative suggested that the match against Celtic had set the tone, as Hearts were undoubtedly motivated to prove themselves against the reigning champions. But could they replicate that performance on a chilly Wednesday night in Paisley? Historically, this venue had not been kind to them, with only one win in their last eight visits, including a League Cup penalty shootout defeat earlier this season.
St Mirren clearly knew how to unsettle Hearts, consistently delivering the ball into the box and creating numerous scoring opportunities.
While some chances were wasted, others were converted, and VAR played its familiar controversial role in the proceedings.
Nevertheless, this Hearts team displayed a strong sense of belief, capitalizing on their luck as they continued to create chances in an exhilarating match.
Though their lead has been trimmed, it could have been worse.
Ultimately, both teams could argue they deserved all three points, making the shared outcome a fair result.
What's Next?
Hearts will host 11th-place Dundee on Saturday at 15:00 GMT, followed by a match against Dundee United eight days later, with the potential to secure six additional points before their next encounter with Celtic.
Meanwhile, St Mirren will focus on their League Cup semi-final against Motherwell at Hampden on Saturday at 17:30, before facing Hibernian the following week at 17:45.