Hearts' drab domestic form came to an abrupt end on Sunday afternoon with a captivating 3-0 win at Motherwell on an impressive day for Robbie Neilson and his resurgent side.
Having won 2-0 against Latvian outfit RFS in the Europa Conference League in midweek, the Edinburgh-based outfit travelled to Fir Park in the hope of banishing their poor form in the homeland. Three losses in their previous four games including being knocked out of the League Cup gave fans something to worry about, especially against a Motherwell side who had lost just one of their last four.
But a strike from Lawrence Shankland and a double from Alan Forrest - who has three in his last two - either side of half-time were enough to give them a much-needed boost in the Premiership which mirrored their strong start. Having won seven points from a possible nine at the beginning of the campaign, a slump was the last thing they needed. And with Motherwell wasteful in front of goal, a win catapulted the visitors to third in the league and just five points from the summit as we head into an international break.
Here are three things we learned from Hearts' comprehensive victory against Well on Sunday.
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Shankland strikes again
Four goals in seven Premiership games now for Lawrence Shankland following his move from Beerschot in the summer - the Glaswegian-born star is showing his worth and some.
A goal against RFS in midweek, a vital goal in the away European clash at Zurich and three goals in his previous five meant that Motherwell had much to be wary of.
And it took just under 20 minutes for Shankland to make his mark at Fir Park, making it a total of six goals in just 857 minutes - a goal every one-and-a-half games.
If Hearts are to secure another European journey, they will need to keep him fit in order to succeed.
Debut boys
Much was made of Hearts' transfer window; Forrest, Shankland and Jorge Grant were their main signing in terms of reputation.
But the recent signing of Scottish star Robert Snodgrass in recent weeks caught the eye, especially with the former Livingston man having played in England for the last 14 years.
He was on the bench for the trip to Fir Park, but was introduced just after the hour mark to show Jambos fans a glimpse of what he can do.
Another talking point was the introduction of German star Orestis Kiomourtzoglou, who was signed from Dutch side Heracles Almelo in the summer - and the German impressed on his debut by keeping it tidy against Steven Hammell's side.
Back to winning ways
It hasn't been plain sailing for Hearts so far this year; having lost three of their last four domestic games in all competitions, Neilson would have been pining for a win against a typically tough opponent.
The result shadowed the Hearts style that impressed teams throughout the entirety of last season as they breezed to a third-placed finish in the Premiership.
Motherwell, who finished fifth last year in a hugely successful campaign, were put to the sword against the side from the capital in a game they will quickly want to forget.
And Jambos fans will be hoping that they can take that form into October where they face Rangers and Fiorentina in the space of five days.
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