Hearts' grip on the top of the Scottish Premiership has been tightened, but not enough to prevent a frustrating 2-2 draw against St Mirren. The visitors had twice led through Dan Nlundulu and Miguel Freckleton, only for Hearts to respond with goals from Lawrence Shankland and Claudio Braga.
The first half was marked by cautiousness, with neither side able to gain the upper hand. However, as the match wore on, both teams began to create more chances. St Mirren had the first real opportunity, but Alexander Schwolow's save denied them an opening goal. Hearts responded with a Keanu Baccus own goal, which gave St Mirren the lead.
However, they were level within minutes, as Nlundulu scored from a beautifully executed free-kick. The home side doubled their advantage before halftime through Freckleton, who headed in at the back post after Stuart Findlay had nodded his header straight to him.
But Hearts refused to give up, and came back strong after the break. Shankland equalized just four minutes into the second half, before Braga's late intervention ensured a point for Hearts. A rebound from Braga's shot hit the crossbar, but he was there to head in himself to make it 2-2.
The visitors' hopes of claiming three consecutive wins were dashed when VAR ruled out Freckleton's second goal of the match, this time due to an infringement in the build-up. Despite Schwolow making several key saves, Hearts held on for a well-deserved draw.
For St Mirren, the result is a welcome boost ahead of their Premier Sports Cup semi-final against Motherwell. Meanwhile, for Hearts, it's just another point that keeps them ahead of Celtic at the top of the table, albeit by only six points.
The first half was marked by cautiousness, with neither side able to gain the upper hand. However, as the match wore on, both teams began to create more chances. St Mirren had the first real opportunity, but Alexander Schwolow's save denied them an opening goal. Hearts responded with a Keanu Baccus own goal, which gave St Mirren the lead.
However, they were level within minutes, as Nlundulu scored from a beautifully executed free-kick. The home side doubled their advantage before halftime through Freckleton, who headed in at the back post after Stuart Findlay had nodded his header straight to him.
But Hearts refused to give up, and came back strong after the break. Shankland equalized just four minutes into the second half, before Braga's late intervention ensured a point for Hearts. A rebound from Braga's shot hit the crossbar, but he was there to head in himself to make it 2-2.
The visitors' hopes of claiming three consecutive wins were dashed when VAR ruled out Freckleton's second goal of the match, this time due to an infringement in the build-up. Despite Schwolow making several key saves, Hearts held on for a well-deserved draw.
For St Mirren, the result is a welcome boost ahead of their Premier Sports Cup semi-final against Motherwell. Meanwhile, for Hearts, it's just another point that keeps them ahead of Celtic at the top of the table, albeit by only six points.
. And for Hearts, they just sorta...phoned it in. I mean, Shankland scored a goal but he didn't even celebrate or anything! 
Like, make the most of your 1-0 lead for goodness sake! 
Scotty players 
so predictable! 
St Mirren had it in the bag but those VAR refs 
gotta get their act together! 
2-2 is a decent point for Hearts but not exactly a win to brag about 
. That Keanu Baccus own goal was so unnecessary 
. Shankland's goal was sweet tho 
. Braga's late heroics saved the day 
. Only six points between them and Celtic, though... 
the pressure is on for Hearts 
!
I'm so sick of those officials ruining games with their inconsistencies. And don't even get me started on how many times Freckleton's goals got disallowed. It's like they're trying to drive the fans crazy! 
cant believe freckleton's goal got taken away now they'll have to regroup and try again 
they should've kept that pressure on hearts but hearts came back strong 
! dan nlundulu is such a legend tho 
his freekick was insane!!! 1-0 down in the second half and hearts still manage to equalize 
shankland's goal was so cool 
6 points clear from celtic but i guess that can change any min 
. Why can't they just let the players play and sort out any issues in real-time instead of stopping the game every five seconds? 
. The VAR ruling out Freckleton's second goal was a bit harsh though 
. It's going to be an exciting finish to the season 
. For Hearts, they didn't have to do much after that 
. Shankland and Braga are the real MVPs in my book 
. And can't believe they ruled out Freckleton's second goal, I get it sometimes VAR makes mistakes...but come on! 
I need a drink after this match... or two 
๏ธ
.
I drew a diagram to show the flow of the game:
They need to keep pushing if they wanna hold onto that title 
claudio braga's late save though, it's like he has x-ray vision or something 
. and that own goal by keanu baccus was just wild 
. i'm so hyped for st mirren's premier sports cup semi-final now, they're gonna crush motherwell