Goals by Jason Cummings and Farid El Alagui secured a valuable three points for Hibs in an ill-tempered Edinburgh derby at Easter Road this afternoon.
The result leaves Hibs in second place on goal difference although Rangers have a game in hand as both clubs fight for second place in the Championship.
Head Coach Alan Stubbs made two changes to the starting XI that beat Dumbarton on Wednesday with Dylan McGeouch returning from injury in place of the injured Scott Robertson and Fraser Fyvie taking over from club captain Liam Craig who dropped down to the bench, and Liam Fontaine took the armband in his absence.
Robbie Neilson, who had the luxury of resting a number of his key players for the game against Alloa Athletic in midweek, made seven changes to his team.
In a frantc start to the game, Adam Eckersley appeared to push his head into the face of Scott Allan however referee Kevin Clancy missed the incident.
Moments later Miquel Pallardo was lucky to escape a yellow card for a foul on Allan before Hearts almost took the lead when Genero Zeefuik latched onto a through ball but Paul Hanlon did well to disposes the striker.
At the other end, Fyvie fired inches over after good interplay between Alan, Martin Boyle and Cummings.
Callum Paterson headed against his own bar trying to clear an Allan corner before Jordon Forster had a shot cleared off the line.
Hibs eventually took a deserved lead in the 29th minute when Allan’s corner was headed clear, only for Fyvie to return the ball into the box. El Alagui outjumped the Hearts’ defenders and nodded the ball into the path of Cummings who slotted the ball into the corner of the net from four yards.
In the 36th minute, Kevin McHattie was replaced by Sam Nicholson then two minutes later, another dangerous Allan corner found Fontaine unmarked however the defender’s volley crashed off the bar and was cleared.
Just before the break, Jamie Walker dispossessed McGeouch on the half way line and headed toward the goal before being brought down by Hanlon who was booked, causing outrage from the Hibs’ fans as the referee had been more than lenient towards several Hearts’ players.
To make matters worse, he then booked Forster for complaining about a decision and Clancy was booed off the pitch at half time.
Hearts looked the more lively after the break although Hibs had a penalty claim rejected when Cummings was wrestled to the ground by Alim Ozturk inside the box.
Hibs should have wrapped things up in the 69th minute when substitute Dominique Malonga broke clear of the Hearts defence and with Boyle unmarked inside the box,  the striker elected to shoot from distance and the ball went harmlessly past the post.
Hearts almost grabbed an equaliser but some brave defending prevented the ball going over the line.
Malonga then had to leave the field due to an injury and Franck Dja Djedje.
In time added on, Djedje did well to beat Ozturk then find El Alagui unmarked inside the box. The striker appeared to hesitate before calmly chipping the ball over Neil Alexander into the net, sparking wild scenes from three quarters of the stadium.
Hearts: Alexander, Paterson, McHattie, Wilson, Ozturk, Gomis, Walker, Pallardo, Sow, Zeefuik. Subs Gallacher, El Hassnaoul, Nicholson, King, Keatings, Anderson, McKay
Hibs: Oxley, Forster, Hanlon, Fontaine, Boyle, McGeouch, Allan, Fyvie, Stevenson, Cummings, El Alagui. Subs: Cerny, Stanton, Handling, Craig, Malonga, Djedje, Dunsmore
John graduated from Telford College in 2010 with an HNC in Practical Journalism and since then he worked for the North Edinburgh News, The Southern Reporter, the Irish News Review and The Edinburgh Reporter. In addition he has been published in the Edinburgh Evening News and the Hibernian FC Programme.
