Hibs' season looks set to fizzle out after their Scottish Cup dream ended at the hands of their bitter rivals.
It looked like it could be a torrid afternoon for Shaun Maloney's men after Hearts bagged two quickfire goals but Chris Cadden managed to give them hope at Hampden.
Former Celtic star Maloney tweaked Hibs' system at half-time and they pushed Hearts in the second half. But, as has been the story of their season though, they just couldn't put the ball in the net.
Here's how the Hibs players rated on the day as they now have five bottom six fixtures to play out:
Matt Macey: Forced to watched two sensational strikes sail past him in the first half but didn’t do much wrong. Pulled off a couple of smart stops including a decent one low to his left to keep out Simms in the second half. 7
Paul McGinn: Got his pocket picked by Alex Cochrane in the build up to the opening goal. Scrapped away the rest of the time and didn’t allow too much joy down his flank. 6
Paul Hanlon: Left shellshocked by the quick fire opening goals but got to grips with the Hearts attack as the match progressed. Posed a threat in the opposition box as well. 6
Ryan Porteous: Desperately unlucky not to find the net with a header early in the second half. Had his work cut out but did a decent job of keeping Boyce at bay. 7
Chris Cadden: Has been one of the few standouts for Hibs in recent months and was the main attacking outlet again. Pounced to grab a lifeline but needed help going forward. 7
Joe Newell: Summed up Hibs’ day. Slow start but came in to the game and he was the one running the show by the time he got his marching orders. The red looked a tad harsh but it was daft diving in when on a yellow card. 5
Jake Doyle-Hayes: Found it difficult locating space in the first half with the midfield congestion. Came in to the game more after the break when Hibs came out fighting. 6
Lewis Stevenson: Tireless in his midfield role. Didn’t go his way in the opening half but never shirked and made sure his side didn’t roll over this time. Replaced late on. 6
Harry Clarke: It was a major surprise to see the centre back rolled out as a wing back. In fairness, he made a decent start with a charge up the flank and was comfortable enough on the ball. 6
Ewan Henderson: Had a tough job supporting the frontline but often forced to drop deep to help out in the middle of the pitch as Hearts had a foothold. Produced some real moments of quality around the box. 7
James Scott: Turned out to be a bit of a lonely role. Tried to press defenders and offer himself down the channels but struggled for service and then for support when he did get the ball. 6
Subs
Josh Campbell (for McGinn 75) Lucky not to see red for a wild lunging tackle on Barrie McKay. Brought an energy to Hibs as they maintained the push despite losing a man. 4
Elias Merkersen (for Stevenson 75) Added pace and and extra presence up top as Maloney went for broke in the closing stages. Got the chance he craved late on but send his header wide. 4
Chris Muller (for Henderson 89) Chucked on for the huge chunk of injury time but couldn’t find a way through. 2
Sylvester Jasper (for Scott 89) Thrown on as the last throw of the dice but didn’t get the chance to make an impact. 2
