Kilmarnock 2-1 Heart of Midlothian: Three things we learned
Kilmarnock came out 2-1 winners in a close match at Rugby Park. Let’s look at what stood out…
It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish
Hearts came flying out of the blocks with Robbie Neilson clearly having asked for a reaction from his players following a 3-0 humbling from Aberdeen before the international break. He certainly got that reaction in the early exchanges. His side took the lead after just seven minutes when Lawrence Shankland found the net with a strike from the edge of the box following a sloppy error from Killie defender Jeriel Dorsett. However, the Jam Tarts’ afternoon would soon unravel.
Kilmarnock pulled themselves level with 22 minutes on the clock after Kyle Vassell was brought down in the area by Hearts goalkeeper Zander Clark. Daniel Armstrong calmly dispatched the resulting spot-kick. Just before the break, Killie completed their comeback as on-loan Hibernian striker Christian Doidge pounced on more unsure goalkeeping from Clark, latching onto an Armstrong cross which he merely flapped at. In the Hearts shot-stopper’s defence, he picked up a knock shortly before Killie’s second goal. Clark was replaced at half-time by Ross Stewart.
In the second half, the home side continued to look more threatening with chances falling for Doidge to add to his goal tally and David Watson among others. This result makes it five league defeats in six matches for Robbie Neilson’s men, so there’s plenty of thinking for the Hearts boss before his side welcome St Mirren to Gorgie next weekend.
Killie show their mettle
Kilmarnock manager Derek McInnes has admitted that his side are in a relegation battle, however, it looks as if they could get out of it based on that performance. They showed real grit and determination to come back from a goal down against a strong, albeit out of form Hearts side. Killie were solid at the back and looked dangerous going forward, and the latter has been the Ayrshire side’s Achilles heel at times this season, but perhaps they are finding their shooting boots at the most important point in the campaign.
After an hour, the home side were reduced to 10 men when stand-in skipper Rory McKenzie got himself sent off following a knee-high challenge on Hearts’ Jorge Grant. Initially, referee Evan Anderson didn’t give a foul, but the VAR, Andrew Dallas advised him to look at the monitor. He then subsequently gave McKenzie his marching orders. The Kilmarnock midfielder did get the ball, however, his follow-through was deemed to be too high and ultimately dangerous. Killie responded well to going a man down and retained their shape while still looking intent on the counter-attack.
The race at the bottom heats up
Kilmarnock have taken a massive stride in the survival race with three points against one of the Premiership’s top teams. This leaves them in tenth place, six points clear of Dundee United at the foot of the table and four points above Ross County who occupy the relegation playoff spot.