Lawrence Shankland captained Hearts as they returned to third with a historic 3-2 win in Perth.
The striker hit number 16 of the season as he slotted home another penalty as the Jambos turned on the style against St Johnstone. Hearts started life without Craig Gordon as Zander Clark replaced the skipper and Tynecastle hero following his horrific double leg break on Christmas Eve. And the stopper was regularly called into action as his side battled for the points in a five-goal thriller.
Shankland's strike was followed up by a slick goal from Alan Forrest after a wonderful passing move saw the Hearts midfielder slot home. Hearts then suffered a blow when Stevie May pulled one back from the spot before a Barrie McKay rocket put daylight between the teams. Jamie Murphy pulled another back but the Jambos held out to claim their first McDiarmid Park win in 12 years.
READ MORE: Zander Clark on his 'bittersweet' Hearts debut as he hails 'brilliant' Craig Gordon
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Here are three things we learned as the Tynecastle side reclaimed third place in the league:
Stand-in Captain Fantastic
It might be the festive season but the mood in the Hearts camp will be a sombre one after Craig Gordon's horrific injury.
Not only has Neilson lost his most experience pro, but his sides captain.
Up stepped Lawrence Shankland who took the arm band and the responsibility.
The captain impressed as he had big shoes to fill. Shankland literally stepped up as he buried another penalty to score his 16th of the season.
Neilson-ball
Hearts may have had to dig deep to get the points tonight as St Johnstone threatened an equaliser.
But what will have pleased Neilson is some brilliant play.
Alan Forrest's second was a great team goal. One-touch passes with Snodgrass and Halliday involved then led to Forrest nipping in to coolly slot home.
It was a well-worked goal and shows that whilst Neilson's men can battle, they can also play a bit too. It all bodes well going into the Edinburgh derby showdown with Hibs.
Best of the rest
Hearts recorded a historic win in Perth to climb back to third in the league.
It's quite a turn around for Neilson's side who saw themselves lose grip on the spot they made their own last season.
A long Europa Conference League campaign was coupled with an injury crisis in the squad.
But they've come back fighting and with Aberdeen slipping up they've reclaimed that coveted best of the rest spot.
That bodes well going into a clash with rivals Hibs as Hearts look to start 2023 on a high.
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