Hearts’ Scottish Premiership lead has disappeared after Bruce Anderson’s dramatic 90th-minute strike earned Kilmarnock a crucial point and extended the league leaders’ winless run to four matches.
Coming into the match with only one victory in their previous five outings, Derek McInnes’ side desperately needed a win to revive talk of a genuine title challenge. For most of the match, it looked like they had done enough.
Shankland Scores, But Hearts Fail to Finish the Job
Lawrence Shankland gave Hearts the breakthrough with his 11th goal of the campaign, delicately lifting the ball over the goalkeeper from a Tomas Magnusson pass. The home fans believed that would restore momentum at the top of the table.
But Hearts’ struggle to close out games resurfaced when goalkeeper Alexander Schwolow spilled a long-range shot from Liam Polworth, allowing Anderson to pounce on the rebound.
“Sometimes 1–0 should be enough. We just needed to stay calm,” McInnes said after the match, acknowledging the missed opportunity.
Hearts still sit at the top—but only on goal difference—while Celtic have now drawn level on points and hold a game in hand ahead of their high-stakes meeting at Parkhead on Sunday.
Kilmarnock Earn Morale-Boosting Point
Despite extending their winless streak to eight matches, Kilmarnock earned a massive lift from the draw. Stuart Kettlewell praised the resilience of his players, saying,
“𝑾𝒆 𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒂 𝒃𝒊𝒈 𝒎𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑩𝒓𝒖𝒄𝒆 𝒄𝒂𝒎𝒆 𝒖𝒑 𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒎𝒑𝒔.”
Hearts had dominated possession with 65% of the ball and delivered 38 crosses, but they failed to convert pressure into goals. Kilmarnock, meanwhile, registered a higher expected-goals total (2.23 to 1.74), showing just how competitive they were.
Hearts’ Form Raises Questions Ahead of Celtic Clash
Just a month ago, Hearts held an eight-point lead over Celtic after a convincing 3-1 win. Now, six games later, that lead has evaporated. Concerns about their attacking creativity—which first surfaced after goalless matches against Aberdeen and Motherwell—remain unresolved.
Shankland had another chance blocked from close range, while Magnusson hit the post. Hearts narrowly escaped after Marcus Dackers headed against their own crossbar.
But they failed to learn from the warning signs, and Anderson’s late goal punished their wastefulness.
Hearts must regroup quickly if they hope to remain in the title race, starting with Sunday’s pivotal showdown at Celtic Park.
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