Heart of Midlothian will discover their opponents for next month's Scottish Cup semi-final this evening following the conclusion of Livingston v St Johnstone, the fourth and final quarter-final.
Neil Critchley's men boked their place in the last four with a 3-1 victory over Dundee on Friday night at Tynecastle Park.
It was, largely, a comfortable evening, aside from a 10 to 15-minute spell in the second half when the visitors equalised through Joe Shaughnessy.
Sander Kartum had given Hearts a first-half lead thanks to a wonderful strike from distance. He all but finished off the match as a contest with a superb solo goal in the 68th minute, five minutes after Hearts had got back ahead thanks to a Simon Murray own goal.
The victory could have been even more comprehensive with four good opportunities after the third goal.
Having watched the game back, Joel Sked picks out a few key elements and players:
Beni brilliance
Not long after full-time on Friday night, Hearts posted a picture of a beaming Beni Baningime on social media. It was accompanied by the crown emoji. The No.6 was really good in the 3-1 win. Only, he wasn't 'really good'. In reality, having watched the game back, he was excellent. He was, despite Kartum's match-winning performance, the man of the match.
There is an understanding and awareness within the Hearts support that when he's playing regularly he is right up there in terms of the best and most influential player in the team.
In Cammy Devlin's absence and the subsequent switch in shape, there is even more responsibility on the midfielder's shoulders. While some may wilt in such a situation, Baningime thrives.
The 26-year-old isn't influenced by what he hears from the crowd. He's able to block everything out. The same way he does doubts and criticism away from the pitch. You get the sense he's someone who plays the same way whether it is with pals down the park or at Hampden Park in a big game.
He continues to excel as a two-way player for Hearts at the base of the diamond. It's not a role that all midfielders can play and requires a certain skill set. Someone who can win the ball back but also someone who can take the ball under pressure and evade pressure. Baningime was made for the role.
— Heart of Midlothian FC (@JamTarts) March 7, 2025
Four times in the first half, Baningime would get his foot in, react quickest to a situation or pick up on a loose ball. What perhaps stood out most was a greater willingness to progress the game, either with a driving run as he did in the 23rd minute which led to a corner or making more direct or longer forward passes.
It was clear from the start of the second half that Dundee boss Tony Docherty instructed Oluwaseun Adewumi to sit on Baningime, man-marking the Congolese midfielder when Hearts had possession in the build-up stage. In turn, Baningime's influence in possession waned slightly - he still moved around to create space for others.
Out of possession he remained a huge presence best exemplified in the 76th minute when he tracked Adewumi down the right touchline. The Dundee forward twisted and turned to try and get away after failing to run away from his opponent. It ended with Baningime tackling him and leaving him on a heap on the floor.
"Baningime, he's protected everything in front of that defence so well," Hamilton said late into the match on Friday.
He did everything so well.
Kenneth Vargas
The Costa Rican started a match for just the second time this year, replacing James Wilson, who had turned 18 last week, in the starting XI.
Vargas has not made the step up as many expected following an impressive debut campaign, finishing as the team's second highest scorer and becoming a fan favourite with the way he played the game. It was hoped he would become an even bigger figure in the Hearts attack while easing the scoring burden on Lawrence Shankland.
That hasn't transpired. He's missed big chances and irked some fans with naive comments when on international duty. He's fallen down the pecking order in recent months and since his last league start against Kilmarnock in the middle of December, he's played just 13 per cent of minutes in the Scottish Premiership (153 minutes).
He has, however, contributed off the bench, scoring and assisting in the 6-0 win at Dundee and netting in a recent win over St Mirren. Critchley noted the latter of those goals had given him "a lift".
"Like a lot of players, they have to be patient because the players have been playing well and winning games," Critchley said. "That's the life of a footballer. You have to be patient, keep working hard in training and wait for an opportunity."
Moments later there was an indication of a player who has not been used to spearheading the attack in a diamond. Michael Steinwender attempted a pass into his feet but he had already spun and looked for a ball down the side. Beni Baningime gave Vargas some instruction afterward, gesturing that he had to come into the space to get the ball to feet.
He only needed to be told once. Vargas did really well in the build up for the opening goal. After putting pressure on in an attempt to win the ball back, Hearts did regain possession. He showed for Blair Spittal to collect a pass. He attempted to turn but was surrounded by three Dundee players so ensured he kept possession. He then showed again, turning a loose pass into something as he used his pace to scamper down the wing and win a throw-in from which Hearts scored from moments later.
For the remainder of the game he made the right movements and runs required.
"I thought Kenny played with good energy, good mentality, focused on the game and was dangerous," Critchley said of his performance.
The only thing that Vargas' performance was missing was a goal or an assist. It's an area where there are still doubts around him. That killer instinct when presented with a chance or he has the ball in and around the box. He is dangerous but needs to turn that danger into edn product on a more regular basis.
Diamond build-up
There were two moments in the first half which best demonstrated what Neil Critchley wants from his team in terms of their build up within the diamond. Baningime, of course, was involved in both.
The first saw Hearts go from the edge of their own box to the final third in six passes. Blair Spittal drops to knock a pass into Steinwender who finds Kartum on the other side of the midfield. A first-time pass into Baningime opens up space for him to get Spittal back on the ball before he played in James Penrice down the left.
Kartum and Spittal again showed their shuttling roles later in the first half. Steinwender played into the Norwegian who immediately switched play to Lewis Neilson. Neilson passed to Spittal who fired a first-time pass into Steinwender. The centre-back was able to step forward and find Elton Kabangu's feet. He popped it first time into Baningime who moved the ball left and Spittal and Penrice combined to see the latter advance down the left.
They were great examples of Hearts moving the ball quickly and diligently while moving the opposition around the pitch. They had to go backwards a couple of times but doing so allowed them to go forward into more dangerous areas where there was space.
Centre-back pairing
Friday night may well have been Lewis Neilson's best performance in a Hearts shirt. It was a display that was miles away from a seemingly nervous and unsure outing when he replaced Craig Halkett in the win over Kilmarnock.
That fixture saw Neilson get caught ball-watching on occasions. He was unsure of his surroundings and appeared stand-offish. Not a quality you want from a centre-back in Scottish football. In fairness, it wasn't the ideal situation to come into.
Against Dundee, he was switched on, alert and sharp in everything he did. There were two big moments in either half where he stepped across to shut down dangerous moments. One where Adewumi almost got free in the box and another when Dundee broke in a dangerous situation.
It was a decisive performance and he was solid in the air.
Michael Steinwender is going to be a fan favourite providing he continues his trajectory of being an aggressive and combative presence. One moment aside, he was dominant in all aspects.
