Hearts will see their game against Aberdeen as a huge success as they came from behind to win 2-1 on a sunny Saturday lunchtime at Tynecastle.
Heading into the tie knowing that a loss would rule them out of a third-place finish, the Jambos laid siege to the Dons goal with a flurry of chances that should have seen them go 1-0 up through Alex Cochrane and Yutaro Oda.
Instead, they were made to pay for their errors as Matty Pollock headed the visitors 1-0 up on the half-hour mark to stun the side from the capital. Still, they never gave up, and were rewarded for their efforts when Josh Ginnelly continued his superb campaign with an absolute howitzer.
The Englishman cut in from the left and wrapped a right-footed strike into the stanchion to give Hearts hope on the stroke of half-time.
As per the first half, they came flying out of the blocks and eventually their dominance paid off when Alex Cochrane seared a superb first-time cross across the floor for Lawrence Shankland to stab home from a tight angle.
The race for third is still on, and the Jambos will be buoyant over their chances with Rangers and Hibs to come. Edinburgh Live takes a look at how the players fared.
READ MORE: Lee Johnson in Hibs 'doesn't get bigger than that' with Rangers, Celtic and Hearts on horizon
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Zander Clark - 6
Some solid saves in the opening moments but was really troubled by an Aberdeen corner for the opening goal. Wasn’t given much protection by his defenders throughout but he will be disappointed with Pollock’s opener.
Nat Atkinson - 6
Similar performance to Cochrane; though he was defensively solid, the Australian wasn’t quite as influential going forward but seemed have energy in abundance as he squeezed the life from Aberdeen's wingers.
Toby Sibbick - 5
Seemed to be a rabbit in the headlights, and didn’t quite command the backline in the way that Steven Naismith will have wanted him to. Underwhelming from the former Barnsley man who was sloppy with his passes.
Kye Rowles - 6
Strong in the Aberdeen box, but was almost allergic to defending in his own. Almost gave away a penalty but there was nothing doing.
Alex Cochrane - 7
Should have equalised at 1-0 but failed to do so with two gilt-edged chances in quick succession. Youngster was one of Hearts’ main outlets on a possession-dominant day and his superb first-time ball to Shankland had a huge say in the result.
Peter Haring - 6
Back to business after his red card, the Austrian was quite sloppy breaking out from the press in the opening stages but managed quite well in a tough midfield battle.
Cammy Devlin - 6
Acted well as the dynamic option in midfield and was in and around the action in the final third; quite the cultured performance from the Aussie.
Yutaro Oda - 7
Should have squared for Ginnelly to tap in before the opener, but was rather unlucky in the first half in a side that dominated possession. Great flicks and link-up play, but lacking that end product to cement his name as man of the match.
Barrie McKay - 6
Tried a few jinking runs and spins, but they didn’t quite come off for the diminutive midfielder. Claims an assist for Ginnelly’s howitzer, but played quite a similar game to Oda. Almost scored just after Shankland's winner.
Josh Ginnelly - 7
Screamer on the stroke of half time, and for all of their attacking play, might not have been the type of goal that the Jambos were expecting. Real lively player and Hearts must tie him down to a longer-term deal.
Lawrence Shankland - 7
Lively, and for all of his efforts in the first half, he was trying hard to feed off the scraps that the midfield gave him, but just couldn’t quite make anything happen. A superb finish early into the second half put the Jambos in front and he only needs one chance to turn the game around.
Subs
Alan Forrest - 4. Missed an absolute golden opportunity to wrap the game up shortly after coming on.
Michael Smith - 5. Was forced into a central midfield role and impressed by seeing the game out later on.
