Dundee Utd 0-3 Hearts: Report, player ratings, three red cards, missiles thrown, new signing debuts

Hearts’ Premiership title challenge continued apace with a comfortable 3-0 victory over nine-man Dundee United at Tannadice. With Celtic and Rangers both due to play on Sunday this week, the Edinburgh club moved seven points clear at the Premiership summit and remain the pace-setting team into February. However, this game was played in a fierce spirit which resulted in three dismissals.

Landry Kabore scored the opening goal before United’s Amar Fatah received a red card for serious foul play. Alexandros Kyziridis’ penalty put the visitors firmly in command of this game before half-time. In the second half, the United substitute Panutche Camara was sent off for a head-butting offence. He motioned his head towards Hearts midfielder Marc Leonard and, although there appeared to be minimal contact, he was ordered off by referee Calum Scott. The Tannadice coach Dave Bowman also saw red for dissent as proceedings got out of control. Kabore then added a third goal on a convincing night for Hearts.

VAR was heavily involved in Fatah’s dismissal and the penalty award which Kyziridis converted, but there was no denying Hearts’ dominance in front of 3,500 travelling fans. Persistent rain left the Tannadice pitch sodden underfoot so conditions weren’t conducive to silky football. That said, the Tynecastle side still managed to build some tidy attacks with a quick one-touch and two-touch passing at times. They gained an extra advantage following Fatah’s red card and were smart enough to utillise it, with Camara’s offence merely compounding the hosts’ misery.

Dundee United fielded debutant goalkeeper Ashley Maynard-Brewer hoping he would offer some assurance as the last line of defence. United had won only two of their previous 13 league fixtures, whereas Hearts had suffered just two Premiership defeats all season so far. They brought goalkeeper Alexander Schwolow, right-back Jordi Altena and midfielder Oisin McEntee back into the side. New loan signing Rogers Mato was named among the substitutes.

United got in behind Altena more than once during the opening exchanges and Hearts looked slightly uneasy. However, the constructed a sublime move to take the lead on 12 minutes. Harry Milne played a one-two with Claudio Braga down the left flank and then set off on a piercing run to the byline. His low cross was touched home by Kabore from about two yards. It was the ideal start for the visitors to settle any early nerves.

They would have been further encouraged when United were reduced to 10 men on 24 minutes. Fatah stood on Leonard’s ankle in a mistimed midfield challenge and was initially cautioned when play stopped, but VAR advised a touchline monitor review. Referee Scott obliged and duly rescinded Fatah’s yellow card to replace it with a red for serious foul play. The Swede trudged off the pitch dejected, but events were about to worsen for his colleagues as Hearts moved 2-0 ahead on 29 minutes.

Ryan Strain fouled Braga in a challenge right on the 18-yard line near the corner of United’s penalty box. A free-kick was initially awarded before VAR again intervened and Scott pointed to the penalty spot. Kyziridis stepped up and confidently fired the ball low to Maynard-Brewer’s right as the keeper dived left. There was the unseemly sight of cups and other objects being thrown from United supporters behind the goal towards Kyziridis and other Hearts players as they set off to celebrate in the corner.

Everyone inside Tannadice knew the visitors were in command, though. Kabore’s header from Leonard’s corner would have made it 3-0 had the ball not struck Maynard-Brewer in the face without him knowing much about it. The goalkeeper then pushed Milne’s angled shot for a corner as Hearts smelled the chance to totally kill this game.

As expected, most of the second half was played in the hosts’ half of the field with the away side probing for one more goal. The singing and noise was all coming from the away end as supporters backed their side all night. United broke forward on 64 minutes but Zac Sapsford headed Camara’s cross wide of target.

At the opposite end, Altena’s cutback for Kabore brought two scoring opportunities for the Burkinabe forward, but Maynard-Brewer repelled both of them. He then saved Braga’s attempt from an acute angle following delightful build-up play between the Portuguese and Kyziridis. The evening erupted in controversy on 75 minutes. After some handbags involving Hearts defender Craig Halkett and United substitute Owen Stirton, Camara got involved and motioned his head forwards as he confronted Leonard. The midfielder went down and referee Scott instantly produced a red card.

Moments later, Dundee United’s coach Bowman was also dismissed for dissent. He was clearly irate seeing Camara being ordered off and quickly joined him down the tunnel. Kabore then claimed his second goal of the match with an instinctive turn and finish following a purposeful attack by the away side, with Tomas Magnusson’s low ball landing in the striker’s path. Maynard-Brewer got a hand to the shot but couldn’t prevent it bouncing over the line. As Kabore took the acclaim from the away end, one Hearts fan got a little too excited and ran onto the pitch in celebration before being arrested.

The final stages saw recent loan signing Mato make his Hearts debut as a substitute, while record signing Eduardo Ageu saw a late header saved by Maynard-Brewer. It was a feisty affair to pitch Mato into and he will doubtless play a bigger role in weeks to come once his fitness improves. For now, those in Derek McInnes’ starting line-up are doing a perfectly good job.

Here are the Hearts player ratings from Tannadice: