Wouter Vrancken celebrated his first win as Hearts head coach as Dundee United lost out at Tynecastle Park. A 4-0 victory was heavily influenced by the impressive Tom Renaud dominating central midfield. The hosts were 2-0 ahead inside 12 minutes thanks to Renaud’s second goal in two games and a Calvin Miller penalty. Claudio Braga and Josh McPake added a third and fourth respectively in the second half to complete a strong display.
Following four straight defeats in his first four games in charge - the latest being Thursday’s 6-1 European reverse at Benfica - Vrancken will be pleased with the football his team displayed for much of this encounter. Hearts are far from the finished article but there are clear elements of what their Belgian manager wants in their play. Passing from defence, pace, a high tempo and an aggressive high press were all evident against United. Two early goals set the platform for an important win.
Both Miller and McPake celebrated their first goals in maroon as Hearts engineered some excellent moves and showed admirable confidence building from defence. Midfielders moved for the ball and passes went through United’s lines at a steady tempo. Just what Vrancken wants. His team remains a work in progress but this match proved progress is definitely being made. In Renaud, they had probably the best player on the pitch. United were overwhelmed and didn’t register a single shot on target during the 90 minutes. They got forward at times but too frequently chose the wrong option.
Vrancken entered his first home league fixture without five defenders. Suspension precluded Stuart Findlay following last week’s red card at Aberdeen, while Stephen Kingsley, Harry Milne, Craig Halkett, Malachi Fagan-Walcott and were all sidelined by injury. Winger Calvin Miller was a surprise selection at left-back but there was a welcome start for Renaud following his fine midweek goal in Lisbon. That was one of five changes from the tie in Portugal. Greek international winger Alexandros Kyziridis was omitted from Hearts’ matchday squad after the club agreed to sell him to Turkey for £1.7m. That figure represents 100 per cent profit for a player signed for free last summer.
Dundee United made one alteration to their startling line-up as forward Daniel Bennie replaced Zac Sapsford following their opening-day draw with Rangers at Tannadice. They were soon in deficit, though, after Renaud’s sumptuous strike. The Frenchman collected Braga’s pass, took a perfect first touch and ambled forward to dispatch a soaring effort into the top corner from almost 30 yards.
If that was the ideal start, it became even better minutes later when Hearts were awarded a penalty. Bennie pulled McCart down at Miller’s corner and referee Kevin Clancy pointed to the spot after a touchline monitor review on VAR’s advice. Miller stepped up for a straightforward conversion down the middle, giving his team a very handy two-goal cushion.
Maroon was the dominant colour and Vrancken must see his gameplan slowly taking effect. The crisp passing and sharp movement of the hosts was something United struggled to contain. The visitors’ first meaningful attack came on 26 minutes and ended with Lachlan Rose’s header being deflected wide for a corner.
Home players poured forward again on 32 minutes as striker Amadou Ba-Sy struck a thunderous 25-yard shot which United keeper Jack Walton beat away. Seconds later, Braga spun for a low shot which struck the post Renaud slid in but sent the rebound high. The former Versailles midfielder was the best player on the pitch with a combination of attacking and defending. When he wasn’t sliding in to win midfield challenges, he was back to head another Rose head almost off his own goal line.
Hearts were seeking a third goal to kill the game, although they had to wary of United getting in behind right-back Jordi Altena frequently. The killer strike was provided by Braga on 56 minutes, and again Renaud was heavily involved. He drove forward with the ball despite being chased by United substitute Zac Sapsford. A pass to Kerjota allowed the Albanian to tee up Braga for a fine low finish with his right foot across Walton and into the net.
McPake claimed the fourth on 67 minutes following a smart one-two with Braga, the winger arcing a splendid finish beyond Walton’s reach. He has taken several weeks to play his way into Vrancken’s plans and enjoyed a good performance to stake his claim. Behind him on the left, Miller was another standout at left-back. He looks a real find in that position as Vrancken tries to cope with so many defenders injured, including left-backs Milne and Kingsley.
Benfica are next up at Tynecastle for Thursday’s return leg. Hearts’ chances of overturning the 6-1 scoreline are slim to say the least, but this result will breed plenty confidence for the weeks ahead.
