The crossbar was struck in the 17th minute by Jimmy Dunne. In the 90th minute the angle of bar and post was clipped by Steven MacLean. In between Steven Naismith had a penalty-kick saved on the stroke of half-time.
Add a fourth clean sheet in six league games, flattering possession statistics of 62 per cent and the impression is that Heart of Midlothian’s first dropped points of the season were down to ill fortune.
To be at Tynecastle on Saturday, however, was to witness the reality.
Hearts’ wilted players departed the pitch five points clear at the top of the Scottish Premiership and to a cascade of boos.
It was a jarring scenario, a spontaneous combustion brought about by the preceding five victories and the consequent assumption that Livingston, newly-promoted, would be pushed aside. Six in six, that’s what the home fans were here for.
Frustration against Livingston
What they got was, as manager Craig Levein said: “Frustration – we frustrated me more than Livingston did.”
That mood was eased less than 24 hours later with news of Celtic’s defeat at Kilmarnock – it preserved Hearts’ five-point advantage and is another indicator that this could be an intriguing Premiership season – but for Levein, there was no such consolation on Saturday.
“Things that we’ve being doing well,” he said, “like moving the ball quickly, we didn’t do.”
Naismith was blunt, about the first half in particular. “We played terrible,” he said.
So the jeers flowed, the walk away from the stadium was less brisk than the walk to it.
The in-built pessimism of supporters and realism about Hearts’ history – no Scottish title since 1960, not been runners-up since 2006 – meant only a minority were nodding at the Leicester City 2016 comparison sparked by the previous Saturday’s 1-0 win at Motherwell.
But five-in-five had seen odds on Hearts’ title chance chopped to 16-1 – from 500-1 at the start of the season – and Levein had responded to questions about title challenges by saying: “They [fans] can dream any time they like.”
Far from a champion performance
A further example of the beginnings of anticipation came when the club’s latest, 18th, recruit since June – Sean Clare from Sheffield Wednesday, signed last Monday – was asked if Hearts could at last be champions. He replied: “Why not?”
He has a partial answer now. This was a far from champion performance.
Hearts were slow from kick-off, while Livingston were sharp. It made for a stalemate which was sufficiently irritating to Levein for him to leave his seat in the stands and return to the dugout.
It is the first time he has been back there since a cardiac problem caused the 53-year-old to be hospitalised at the end of August.
“The perfect tonic for any ailment is, of course, winning games,” Levein said in his programme notes. His doctor may have a comment on that; this is no way to relax.
Not getting carried away
The home passing was either too short or too long, Naismith was ratty with his teammates. Evidence of waywardness came from the mis-hit effort from defence into the Livingston box that prompted keeper Liam Kelly to bump into MacLean as a woeful first-half petered out.
The penalty was a 50/50 call. It went Hearts’ way. Naismith, 32, experienced and the division’s leading scorer, drove low. Kelly saved. Many groaned but few complained of injustice, Hearts did not merit a lead.
As they had to, Hearts improved after the interval, the upping of tempo Levein demanded was visible. Yet there was a lack of creativity, the absence of injured striker Uche Ikpeazu was apparent and Livi’s principal centre-half, Craig Halkett, was exceptional. On the break, Scott Pittman almost score a goal that would not have been undeserved.
After that came another Hearts flurry but a maroon breakthrough would have been unrepresentative.
“From the start [of the season], we’ve not really got carried away,” added Naismith.
“Small markers – last week’s win was a big one for us as a squad, as a club. We’d been in those positions last season and it wasn’t the same. When you start so well, you gain a bit of respect. You’ve got to be patient.”
Taking stock
There will be a pause in chatter about league positions when Motherwell visit Tynecastle on Wednesday in the League Cup quarter-final.
And also, after Celtic’s defeat at Kilmarnock, some reflection about where Hearts are and where they were just a year ago.
Then their experiment with young coach Ian Cathro was ditched – Cathro is now at Wolves – and Levein stepped in. Hearts had eight points from their first six games and won only 12 all season, finishing sixth.
Since then there has been a major turnover of players, a shift in quality and “squad depth”, as Levein said. Celtic have been beaten at Tynecastle.
Moreover, Hearts are five points clear. The 498 travelling Livingston supporters noted that fact 10 minutes from the end. “Top of the league? You’re having a laugh,” they chanted.
There was little home laughter, though there will have been plenty when Kilmarnock’s result landed. Because it’s a funny old game. Hearts: five points clear and booed off.
The post With Celtic faltering, can Hearts go and win the Scottish Premiership? appeared first on inews.co.uk.
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