Jorge Grant's red card explained amid Hearts grievance as Liam Fox answers question on his last game in charge

Interim Hearts manager Liam Fox declared a grievance over midfielder Jorge Grant’s red card during his team’s 3-2 defeat at Aberdeen. Grant was sent off in the second half with the scoreline at 2-2 in a decision which gave the hosts the initiative.

They scored a late winner through Ante Palavera to win a 13th game in succession under manager Jimmy Thelin. Hearts delivered their strongest performance of the season but ultimately left the north east with nothing and remain bottom of the Premiership table without a domestic victory this season.

Grant was initially booked for complaining to referee John Beaton that the ball was in motion when Aberdeen took a free-kick in the build-up to their second goal. - scored by defender Nicky Devlin. Grant then fouled the home substitute Duk on 74 minutes and was issued a second yellow card followed by a red.

“We created loads of chances, some really good chances. That happens in football,” admitted Fox. “On another day you'd hopefully take them and the outcome is different. The red card definitely changes the flow of the game. The other thing that's worth mentioning is that the second [Aberdeen] goal, the ball's actually still moving from a free-kick.

“They go up the park score. Jorge Grant is then booked for dissent because he's complaining about the ball moving, and then he gets sent off on a challenge. So, yes, there's frustration there, there's disappointment. It's a sore one to take.

“I've spoken to John [Beaton] very quickly. He just said that decision was on him. First and foremost, Jorge Grant's put his hands up and he feels he's let the team down. There's no doubt that sending off changes the flow of the game, it changes the momentum. That's football. We work in a world of really, really small margins and I just thought those couple of things went against us today.”

READ MORE: Report and player ratings from Aberdeen 3-2 Hearts

Hearts are currently interviewing potential new managers and Fox was asked if the game at Pittodrie was the last of his interim reign. “I've no idea until somebody from the club tells me differently but until such times that is, I'll be back to work tomorrow,” he replied.

“We've also got the international break now which will probably allow the club a wee bit of time to go through the process - which I'm sure they're already going through. It's been a privilege and an honour for me to do this role and even in the short term, I'm just disappointed that we didn't take something from today.

“I need to give credit to the players because it would have been very, very easy to go under. The atmosphere was really good today, Aberdeen had been flying high, but I thought we bounced back really quickly. I thought we got control of the game, I thought we passed it well, we moved it well, we pressed really, really well, we created chances. So, there's a lot of positive things to take but we've come away with nothing. That's the disappointment.”

Hearts beat Dinamo Minsk 2-1 in the Conference League on Thursday and then delivered their best performance of the campaign so far at Pittodrie. Fox struggled to explain the level of exasperation that they still got nothing from the match.

“Yeah, definitely. That's a difficult question to answer because it's in my short period here, that's the best we've been in the three games. We got a brilliant result the other night, we dug a point out the week before. I thought we deserved better today but, like I say, we live in a world of football where you don't always get what you deserve.”

Stephen Kingsley was substituted in the first half with an ankle problem. “He rolled his ankle really early. That’s disappointing for him but I thought James Penrice when he came on did great as well. Everybody who went on the park today contributed.”

Hearts players will be in training this week whilst others head off on international duty. They play Raith Rovers at Stark’s Park on Wednesday in Ross Matthews’ testimonial game. “We've got Ross Matthews' friendly on Wednesday night so we'll be back in. We'll be off tomorrow [Monday] and then we'll see where we are come the rest of the week.

“You stew over every defeat and every disappointment. That's the nature of football, that's the nature of being involved in coaching and management. I think in time we'll see that there were some positives today but I'm repeating myself. All I'm feeling is frustration and disappointment not for me but for the players because I thought they deserved more today.”

Thelin offered praise for Hearts as he continues guiding Aberdeen to win after win. “I think Hearts, like I told you on the press conference before the game, they are looking better and sharper,” he stated. “They have a good squad and we get a really great start on the game today, a really nice goal.

“Then they find some parts that we have to improve in for the future, that test us a little bit inside the game. Things don't go exactly what we planned and that's football sometimes. You also have an opponent on the other side. The team still stays together after these opportunities, they don't get too stressed.

“We made some mistakes today. That's football. Football is a game of mistakes. You have to reduce them but still be brave. I don't think it's the right day to analyse that. We have to think about the atmosphere, how we made substitutes and how they impacted the game.

“The whole of Pittodrie was bouncing. These are good feelings and the character of the team sometimes when it's not exactly as we planned but still find ways to win. And this hunger to try to find the winning goal, even if of course there were 10 men. We try and we push and I'm so happy with that today.”