Hearts v Hibs debrief: Hunter and McAlonie score and sparkle, Timms' late chance to win, Hibs' lack of substitutes

Michaela McAlonie fires Hibs in front at Tynecastle Park before Hearts fought back in the Capital Cup. Picture: Michael Hulf/Hibernian Football Club

A look back at Sunday’s match at Tynecastle as Hearts and Hibs went head to head in the Capital Cup.

Player of the match

There was no clear stand-out in the contest overall. Michaela McAlonie was the pick of the bunch in green and white. She scored a well-taken opener to capitalise on a ricochet which landed at her feet just inside the penalty area. She also showed quality in possession in the first 45 but, like so many of her team-mates, faded after the break. This was particularly true of Katie Lockwood whose energy was so influential during the opening period.

For Hearts, goalscorer Georgia Hunter deserves the nod for her late equaliser and a solid shift defensively, though centre-back partner Vyan Sampson can also lay a claim. As the winning captain, let’s go for Hunter.

Defining moment

Hibs were the better side in the first; Hearts better in the second. A draw could be considered fair but Hearts can lay the biggest claim to deserving all three points as they created more chances across the 90 minutes. Unfortunately for them, leading goalscorer Georgia Timms didn’t have her shooting boots on – at least not until converting her kick in the penalty shoot-out. The English No.9 had the opportunity to win the game for the Gorgie Girls shortly after Hunter equalised but, after rounding Benedicte Haaland, she sliced her finish wide of goal.

Ref watch

There were a couple of meaty challenges that Iain Sneddon let go in the opening period which set the tone for his officiating performance as he kept his cards in his pocket throughout.

Benefit of hindsight

Hearts were too deep in the opening period with Timms cutting a frustrated figure in attack as she was too isolated. However, Eva Olid revealed after the game that it wasn’t a deliberate tactic but instead the players were a little cowed by the occasion.

Hibs boss Dean Gibson was hamstrung by a lack of fitness with his side suffering an injury crisis of sorts. However, there were still four outfield players on the bench and one or two of them could have been brought on simply to provide fresh legs for a flagging team as they tried in vain to defend the lead.

Message from the editor

Thank you for reading this article. If you haven't already, please consider supporting our sports coverage with a digital sports subscription.