Three things we learned about Hearts from their 0-0 draw with Hibs

Hearts' emergency striker Peter Haring battles for possession.

Hearts went for the element of surprise

With so many players missing, it's fair to say Hibs boss Neil Lennon would have been expecting the unexpected from the Hearts attack. However, it's doubtful even he foresaw a pairing of young winger Callumn Morrison and midfield linchpin Peter Haring. In the opening exchanges it almost worked a treat for the hosts with Morrison, in particular, causing Hibs all sorts of problems. The visitors soon cottoned on to Morrison's movement, particularly his penchant for the space between the wing-back and left-sided centre-back, and they quickly grew into the ascendancy.

There was renewed belief in the second half

Hibs had a lot of the territory and almost all of the opportunities after Hearts' opening frenzy. Given the knocks the Gorgie Road side have received in recent weeks, it would have been understandable to see more of the same in the second period. Instead, the hosts took to the pitch with renewed intensity. The midfield four - Sean Clare, Olly Lee, Oliver Bozanic and Arnaud Djoum - in particular improved after the restart as they moved fluidly, changing positions and keeping possession better than they had in the opening 45 minutes. The red card obviously helped them keep on top of things, but they'd upped their performance already.

There was (and will be) a problem breaking down the opposition

With their leading three strikers out of action, Hearts found it difficult to find a way through the Hibs rearguard. While they should have expected better from their set-piece opportunities, given the number they forced and the players capable of delivering a wicked cross, it was still the best avenue of attack. The return of Steven MacLean once he serves his two-game suspension should help matters, but without the glue that holds the attack together (Steven Naismith) and the battering ram for which no defence has an answer (Uche Ikpeazu) these could be a frustrating couple of months for Craig Levein and the Hearts support.