Motherwell 0-3 Hearts: Lawrence Shankland & Alan Forrest strikes secure victory

Hearts climbed into third place in the Scottish Premiership after beating Motherwell to record their second win in less than 70 hours.

Each goal came after periods of heavy Motherwell pressure, with Steven Hammell’s hosts missing a succession of chances and failing to take advantage as Hearts understandably tired late on.

“We rode our luck at times,” Hearts manager Robbie Neilson conceded. “[We] got the three goals, so all and all I am delighted. The most important thing is we go into the international break third in the league.

“We knew after the previous European trip we had we came back and got beat, but playing for Hearts you can’t do that. You have to win on the Thursday and win again on the Sunday, and we’ve managed to do that, which is great.”

The opening stages were lively, with Joseph Efford and Ross Tierney both going close for the home side after early Motherwell pressure. Craig Gordon saved the former’s shot before the latter’s strike fizzed past the outside of a post.

A Shankland shot ricocheted wide as the game continued at a high tempo with both sides showing attacking impetus.

Shankland made no mistake when his next chance arrived, though. Ricky Lamie’s attempted clearance fell for the striker, whose ferocious first attempt was saved by Liam Kelly. The rebound was returned back to him, though, and he converted.

Motherwell had a few half-chances as they tried to find a response to going behind. Blair Spittal had a long range effort fly wide and a Paul McGinn shot had a similar outcome.

Kevin van Veen drove in from the left-hand side before his edge-of-the-area shot crept narrowly over just before the interval.

Motherwell were somehow still behind after the break despite a Spittal header hitting one post and McGinn’s attempt on the follow up, from almost on the line, trundling along the line and hitting the other upright.

Moments after squandering those chances, the home side were two behind.

Shankland held up the ball smartly inside the area, he expertly laid it into the path of Forrest to curl into the net past the unsighted Kelly.

Hearts breathed a deep sigh of relief as the flag was raised for offside after a Van Veen shot – after a sensational Craig Gordon save – was tapped in by Louis Moult.

Gordon then palmed a venomous Matt Penney strike over the bar with less than 10 minutes to go, with the full-back rattling the bar from range moments later.

The game was put beyond Motherwell’s reach when Forrest doubled his tally with minutes to go, tapping in a Nathaniel Atkinson touch across goal.

Player of the match – Alan Forrest

Motherwell need Moult to rekindle magic – analysis

Motherwell had 25 shots, but only five on target, and McGinn missed a sitter. Their xG of 2.29 suggests they need to find a cutting edge in front of goal. And for all they were impressive, they lacked composure, or perhaps just luck, in the box.

With only six points separating Hearts in third and St Johnstone in ninth, it’s clear that the odd goal here and there could prove vital. So Louis Moult returning to Fir Park could be vital as the season unfolds.

As the game began to draw to a close, Motherwell were reduced to shots from distance as the failed to find a way to go via more conventional methods.

While the scoreline may suggest otherwise, it wasn’t a comfortable win for Hearts. After their European exploits midweek it’s likely that there were some tired legs out there, but they have to continue with this schedule for the next month or two.

Adjusting quickly to the demands of European group stage football will be top of Robbie Neilson’s to-do list.

What they said

Motherwell manager Steven Hammell: “That hurts. Losing 3-0 at home is not acceptable, it’s not what we were hoping for.

“From a positive point of view, we created more chances than we have all season. It’s not just on the strikers, nearly every player had a chance today and it’s something we preach about being clinical in both boxes and we just couldn’t do that.”

Hearts manager Robbie Neilson: “It was two teams that wanted to win the game. Sometimes you play a team that want to sit in and try and get set-plays. But Motherwell were very open, they try to play and create chances.

“We knew it was going to be a really tough game, Stevie has got them playing really well, but the biggest thing for us was getting the three points.”

What’s next?

Motherwell are away to Celtic on 1 October (15:00 BST), with Hearts hosting Rangers on the same day (12:30).