Heart of Midlothian dug out a 1-0 win over Dundee to extend their lead at the top of the Scottish Premiership, for the time being, to five points.
The game was level for more than 70 minutes before the league leaders opened the scoring. Oisin McEntee guided a Marc Leonard free-kick past Jon McCracken.
Joel Sked reflects on another win for Hearts with seven games to go.
Top in April
On a day of sun and celebration, Hearts found a way to ensure they did their part of the bargain.
The players were welcomed to Tynecastle Park by fans lining Wheatfield Place and Wheatfield Street, with banners telling them to 'Believe'.
They were also performing on Foundation Day, following reaching the £20 million milestone in donations.
The performance wasn't as sparkling as the weather, but the result certainly was.
In the first half, Hearts struggled to dominate and push their opponents back. They were not helped by further disruption in the build-up. Harry Milne wasn't fit enough to play and then they lost Craig Halkett in the warm-up due to a back issue. It meant an unfamiliar backline of Oisin McEntee, Frankie Kent, Michael Steinwender and Jamie McCart.
While there were a few untidy and messy moments, they did keep Dundee's wide threats quiet, minus one moment when Cameron Congreve snuck in behind McCart.
Hearts did create openings but it wasn't the comfortable game that fans were hoping for after the disappointment of Kilmarnock. There was a lot of going sideways and back the way in the first half and not enough direct attacks down the flanks.
Fans had to be patient and had to stick with the team. They did both before the deadlock was broken.
While it wasn't scintillating or comfortable, it was successful and that is all that matters.
Hearts will be top going into the international break and April.
Set-piece goal
Hearts had set-piece meetings during the week following a period where they had not posed as much of a threat as they did for much of the first half of the season.
In the last couple of months, the number of set pieces Hearts have had has risen, but the number of chances created and the xG both dipped.
He said: “The team who is the most productive with set plays might just make the difference."
Well, it was the difference at Tynecastle Park. Leonard stood over the free-kick, signalled an X with his arms before zipping the ball onto McEntee's head. The effort was too powerful for McCracken.
As noted on Hearts Standard on Friday, one of the reasons for the downturn was perhaps due to McEntee's absence.
The Altena and McEntee dynamic
When the team was announced and it appeared to be 4-4-2, there was a debate to be had whether Jordi Altena was going to play in front of Oisin McEntee or behind the Irishman.
It turned out to be the former, McEntee at right-back, with the Dutchman given a more attacking role.
Altena was signed by his former club, RKC Waalwijk, to play as a wideman or a No.10. He demonstrated his comfort playing up one, always looking to be positive with the ball and extremely comfortable on the ball.
In a frustrating first half, he was someone who changed the shape of attacking with a willingness to dribble with the ball, especially in field to open up the game.
Altena also provided a threat in the final third, winning a dangerous free-kick and he should have been given another one before he was replaced by Blair Spittal.
If there was one thing you would have liked him – and Hearts – to do more often, it was cross it.
In terms of the balance with McEntee, the Irishman would move ahead of him as a target for throws or long kicks.
McEntee, it should be noted, was excellent besides his goal.
Kabore doesn't respond
The striker had a chance to respond to a poor outing in the defeat to Kilmarnock, with McInnes opting for two strikers. Unfortunately for the Burkina Faso international, the response wasn't the one the team required.
Kabore provided plenty of hustle and bustle, but across his time on the pitch, he didn't seem to be on the same wavelength as his team-mates.
Early on, a channel ball went down the right beyond Claudio Braga, but where you wanted Kabore to be, he wasn't. He was on the other side, not impacting the game.
He would show glimpses of building up play and went close with a glanced header following positive play from Alexandros Kyziridis, but then, toward the end of the half, a promising counter-attack broke down with the striker. Rather than turn and either drive forward with the ball or play left, he got the ball caught under his feet and had to go backwards, taking the momentum out of the opportunity to attack.
Then, just before half-time, he had the best opportunity of the half when he was played through from a Braga's flick-on, but he fluffed his chance, reminiscent of a miss against Aberdeen.
He lasted just a few minutes of the second half before being replaced by Lawrence Shankland.
The returning stars
There has been a real eagerness for the return of Cammy Devlin and Shankland. As McInnes noted, the former was the best midfielder in the league before his ankle injury and the latter is the best striker in the league.
Devlin got a huge cheer when he first touched the ball and it was a typical Devlin performance. In terms of his energy, he didn't look like someone who had been out since January.
He was crisp on the ball, keeping it short, sharp and safe.
Shankland was called back from his warm-up early in the second half. Again, his return was met with a huge roar.
The striker couldn't get into the game earlier on because Hearts didn't get the control they wanted. But he provided a control and a focal point.
For his first chance, he didn't get enough purchase on it and then he nearly scored a wonderful second on the break but his effort from around the halfway line went over.
A welcome return for both.
