Hearts player ratings vs Motherwell: 4s and 5s as Jambos drop into bottom six amid loud full time booing

Hearts are in the bottom six after a drab 0-0 draw with Motherwell in the Premiership.

Sander Kartum missed a big chance in the first half to put the Jambos ahead. Motherwell then missed a couple of chances with St Mirren leading at Ross County meaning Hearts had to try and find a winner if they were avoid being in the bottom half, a year on from finishing third.

A leveller was found in that game by the Staggies as Lawrence Shankland had an effort bound to be the winner cleared off the line. St Mirren snatched a late winner to leave Hearts in a race against time, and Shankland missed a major chance to spark loud boos in the away end. The Jambos have a Scottish Cup semi final with Aberdeen up next before the post split fixtures.

Objectives didn’t come much clearer for Hearts. Win, and they were in the top six, lose and they weren’t. A draw left the door open for St Mirren but taking all the permutations aside, three points would banish the wrongs of losing at Fir Park earlier in the season and show tangible progress signs under Critchley after a bad start to the campaign.

A 1-0 defeat was had last time out versus Dundee United but the boss wasn’t too disheartened by what he witnessed having played much of the game with 10 men, reflected in Musa Drammeh replacing the suspended James Wilson in a sole change. This was a different Motherwell to what they had faced earlier in the season, with Stuart Kettlewell’s disciplined approached swapped for a high pressing style under new manager Michael Wimmer.

A couple of uncharacteristic Craig Gordon mistakes summed up what had been a tense start, perhaps no surprise given what was at stake. But they did have the first chance of the game off a Kofi Balmer error, Kartum played in but blazing high and wide when he should have hit the target at least.

News of a Ross County goal sent a positive boost around the stands as the game in front of them stood in total shootout mode. But it was Motherwell to fire next with Callum Slattery and Tony Watt both hitting efforts off target in a game of many fouls and scrappiness, St Mirren’s leveller downing the mood a touch.

Going in front sent Hearts into the bottom half ahead of a nervy 45 plus stoppages. A County goal had eased things but there was little to suggest in this game that either side wanted to take a hold of their own destiny. There was a flash, however, as a ball across the Motherwell box wasn’t dealt with and Shankland was denied on the line.

Jorge Grant then blazed over just as St Mirren looked to have struck a late winner, with late jeopardy now sharply injected into this game which only proved thrilling because of what was going on elsewhere. Shankland then missed a glorious opening that painfully trickled by the post, with the club’s season now riding on one set of 90 minutes at Hampden. Here’s how we rated the Hearts players.