Hearts debrief: A listless performance, questions over use of Humphrys and Devlin, Kio's face tackle

A look back at Thursday night’s match at Tynecastle as Hearts lose to Fiorentina in the Europa Conference League.

Player of the match

Stephen Humphrys and Cammy Devlin impressed off the bench (more on them shortly) but of the starters the best player in maroon was probably Craig Gordon. The Scotland No.1 made one very good save from Igor in the first half. He was also responsible for keeping the scoreline down with a number of blocks as the keeper did his usual and spread himself wide in the face of a forward baring down on him.

Defining moment

Hearts midfielder Orestis Kiomourtzoglou battles Luka Jovic during the Europa Conference League encounter against Fiorentina at Tynecastle. Picture: SNS

Let’s go right the way back to the fourth minute and Rolando Mandragora’s opener. The cross was allowed to come in far too easily and the player was unmarked as Jorge Grant failed to track him. Getting nowhere near their opponents was a staple of Hearts’ play all night. Being beaten by superior opposition is to be expected, but the listlessness with which Hearts played was rather galling.

Ref watch

Erik Lambrechts from Belgium drew the ire of the home support on several occasions as he often punished Hearts players for soft fouls, particularly Lawrence Shankland who seemed to get whistled a lot for little contact. His sending off of Lewis Neilson could have been a booking with the ball perhaps out of reach of the Fiorentina attacker, but there’s no doubting the defender hauled him back.

Benefit of hindsight

Considering Hearts went back to front often in the first half, a scenario which they surely must have expected, it was surprising that Humphrys wasn’t among the starting XI, given he’s the only attacker in the Hearts squad with a bit of height. Devlin’s omission also raised some eyebrows. Sure, he sold the jerseys on Saturday against Rangers with his red card, but he’s undoubtedly been Hearts’ best player in Europe so far this term. His enthusiasm for pressing opponents was sorely lacking from his team’s play.

Moment you may have missed

One player who at least showed the desire to play the game at the tempo required was Orestis Kiomourtzoglou. The moment in the first-half where he tackled with his face was a rare highlight for the home fans.

Message from the editor

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