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2 hours ago
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Hearts ensured they will go into their penultimate match of the season with at least a one-point lead at the top of the Premiership after drawing with Motherwell in a pulsating match at a packed Fir Park.
The visitors, chasing their first title since 1960, fell behind for the fifth game running when Stephen Kingsley bundled the ball into his own net, but they hit back through Lawrence Shankland just before the break. Hearts are four points clear of Celtic, who will have the chance to reduce the deficit to one point if they defeat Rangers on Sunday.
Although visibly disappointed at full time not to eke out the victory, Derek McInnes’s team could yet seal the championship at home to Falkirk on Wednesday with a game to spare depending how Martin O’Neill’s side fare over their next two matches. The Edinburgh side will likely have to see out the remainder of their quest for glory without key duo Craig Halkett and Marc Leonard, who both went off with serious-looking injuries.
The Motherwell manager, Jens Berthel Askou, made three changes to the side that started last weekend’s defeat at Falkirk, with Oscar Priestman, Liam Gordon and Ibrahim Said all added. There was one alteration to the Hearts side that started their victory over Rangers on Monday as Jordi Altena replaced Islam Chesnokov. Fir Park, hosting its biggest crowd in 21 years on a glorious spring evening, was crackling with atmosphere ahead of kick-off and the match started in lively fashion with Motherwell’s Callum Slattery and Hearts captain Shankland both going close.
The hosts made the breakthrough in the 25th minute when Emmanuel Longelo ran on to Tawanda Maswanhise’s clever backheel on the left and fired in a ferocious low cross that Kingsley – trying to get in front of the lurking Said – could only succeed in bundling into his own net.
As Hearts had done in each of the previous four matches they had fallen behind, they summoned a positive response to equalise in the 43rd minute. Kingsley’s cross from the left drifted to Michael Steinwender at the back post and the Austrian’s powerful angled strike was beaten out by Callum Ward, only as far as Shankland who took a touch before thumping home from six yards out.
Hearts suffered a blow in the last moments of the first half when Leonard went over his ankle, with Alexandros Kyziridis sent on in his place. Motherwell’s O’Donnell had an effort ruled out for offside in the 53rd minute before Halkett was stretchered off in the 59th minute after crumpling in agony.
Hearts were aggrieved not to be awarded a penalty in the 66th minute when referee, Steven McLean, was asked by the video assistant to go to the monitor after Kyziridis went down in the box while trying to go short to receive a corner. The official stuck to his guns, incurring the wrath of both Kyziridis and McInnes, who were both booked for their protests.
