Hearts 3-0 Sunderland: match report & player ratings as clubs honour Craig Gordon

Hearts will head into the new Scottish Premiership season on the back of a convincing win over Premier League Sunderland as the men in maroon ran out 3-0 winners.

The day was all about Craig Gordon though as both clubs honoured his service. Unfortunately, the 42-year old was only able to take his place in the starting XI for ten seconds before being replaced by Zander Clark.

Hearts opened the scoring after ten minutes with a superb cross from Osin McEntee which was headed past Sunderland stopper Simon Moore in front of the visiting fans by Claudio Braga, bringing his total to four goals for the Jambos since joining this summer.

A second change for the hosts came 20 minutes in when Calem Nieuwenhof picked up a knock and was taken off with Blair Spittal his replacement. The Australian's reaction when coming off suggested the move may have been precautionary more than anything especially with his injury history.

Hearts had a big opportunity to go 2-0 up on 35 minutes when the ball came to Braga at the back post but the strier, in acres of space, couldn't get it under control and his first touch took it away from him and into the visiting keeper's arms.

The first half had very much been played at preseason tempo and neither keeper was given anything other than routine attempts from long range to deal with other than the goal. That being said, Hearts were going toe-to-toe with an English Premier League side and were the better team in the first half.

Hearts made two more changes at the break with James Wilson and Michael Steinwender replacing Claudio Braga and Frankie Kent.

The hosts came out all guns blazing in the early stage and peppered the Sunderland box with crosses and through balls with Lawrence Shankland eventually flashing an angled shot across the face of goal. Sunderland then had their best chance of the match with a free kick from around 25 yards out. Jenson Seelt was the player who stepped up and got the ball up and over the wall but Clark watched it all the way past the wrong side of the post.

The game had become a bit more balanced but Hearts still looked far more likely to get another goal than the Premier League side and so they did when the ball fell to Lawrence Shankland at the edge of the box and the skipper drove it into the far bottom corner with pinpoint accuracy. A superb finish leaving Moore with no chance.

Sunderland rang the changes on 70 minutes with nine substitutions all at once while Hearts had opted for a more gradual approach in emptying their bench. Alexandros Kyziridis had replaced Adam Forrester moments before with the young full back having put a decent shift in.

Derek McInnes responded to the raft of changes with three of his own as Elton Kabangu, Stephen Kingsley and Alan Forrest replaced Shankland, Spittal and Harry Milne. Forrest almost made an immediate impact after a super run and turn by Kyziridis picked him out at the back post but his shot was deflected behind for a corner which Oisin McEntee got on the end of but drove wide.

The game was dying down as the final whistle approached but Hearts managed to put the cherry on top of an excellent pre-season performance when Kyziridis pounced on an error at the back to slot home the Jambos' third.

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