Motherwell 1 Hearts 1 – Jambos move 4 points clear with all eyes on Celtic vs Rangers as title race blown wide open

FOUR points clear at the top of the Premiership. 

But Hearts face a nervous watch of tomorrow’s Old Firm game to discover whether dropping points against Motherwell will come back to haunt them. 

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Motherwell players celebrating their opener Credit: PA

Lawrence Shankland scored for Hearts Credit: PA

Lawrence Shankland pounced before half-time to cancel out the Stephen Kingsley own goal which handed Euro-chasing Well the lead. 

The Hearts talisman, scoring his 20th of the season, stepped up once again to claim a point – but a Celtic win against arch-rivals Rangers today could end up setting up a mouthwatering final day showdown in Glasgow. 

A Rangers win and Hearts could lift the title at home against Falkirk – a dream scenario the maroon half of Edinburgh has been hoping for for weeks now. 

Tony Bloom said he believes Hearts could win the title within a decade last summer. Even he couldn’t have believed it was possible within 12 months. 

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It is certainly still in their grasp, but things have got more complicated than they would have been if they’d won here. 

Hearts will be furious they didn’t get a penalty for Tawanda Maswanhise’s trip on Alexandros Kyziridis in the second half, and were left counting the cost of injuries to Marc Leonard and Craig Halkett – who both look to have suffered serious issues. 

McInnes made two changes to his side from Monday’s win over Rangers, bringing in Blair Spittal in place of Islam Chesnokov as well as Jordi Altena for Kyziridis. 

Well’s Andy Halliday, who announced he was retiring at the end of this season, was given a place on the bench and a guard of honour from his team-mates pre-match. 

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Then it was down to business and within seconds of the kick off they had a great chance. 

Breaking down the left allowed Tawanda Maswanhise to feed Elijah Just out wide and his pinpoint cross was attacked by Callum Slattery. 

He got ahead of Beni Baningime to connect with a diving header, but Alexander Schwolow was able to push it away from his bottom left corner. 

His counterpart at the other end Calum Ward then had to be active, after Gordon’s pass into the middle for Oscar Priestman saw him blocked and Hearts countering. 

Shankland picked up, they got it wide to Altena for him to shoot and while Ward parried it away, the Hearts skipper looked certain to score from the rebound. 

For the Hearts fans behind the opposite goal time seemed to stop as he went to roll it into the corner but from seemingly nowhere Stephen O’Donnell appeared at full stretch to block. 

It was an incredible intervention from the Well man, who prevented a certain goal. 

Hearts applaud the away fans at full time. Credit: Willie Vass

Derek McInnes at full-time Credit: Willie Vass

Breathless stuff for the first 23 minutes, before a break in play to allow Findlay treatment after being floored in an aerial tussle with Maswanhise. 

And the whole of the Hearts team’s heads were spinning two minutes later when Well took the lead. 

It was all about Maswanhise’s pace, as he burned the Jambos back line chasing Elliot Watt’s through ball before back-heeling it back for Emmanuel Longelo to cross. 

His whipped ball into the six-yard box caused mayhem, as Said burst in and put enough pressure on Kingsley that he turned it home while trying to clear. 

The defender, hero against Rangers, was then sparkled with a head knock in the opposite box following a boot to the head by Gordon. 

McInnes responded to going behind by switching to three at the back, hoping to get Kingsley – back on after some attention – and Altena pushing higher up the pitch while guarding against that devastating ball in behind. 

Behind for the FIFTH time in a row, Hearts needed another huge response. 

And they got it two minutes before half-time. 

Kingsley getting up the pitch worked, as he fired a cross into the area from the left which was aimed at Shankland but as he was sandwiched between two defenders, it bounced out to Michael Steinwender. 

With Stephen Welsh claiming he’d been fouled, the Hearts man fired a shot in which Ward parried and this time Shankland was ready to pounce, capitalising from eight yards out. 

The Well players surrounded ref Steven McLean claiming the Jambos skipper had shoved the on-loan Celtic man to the floor, but VAR man Greg Aitken checked it and – correctly – judged he’d gone over easily. 

Hearts, whose penalty claims for a Longelo handball had been dismissed, were forced into a sub right before the break, replacing Leonard with Kyziridis after he was left crocked from a shove in the back by Just. 

O’Donnell had the ball in the net for Motherwell on 52 minutes but was flagged offside and VAR didn’t have to waste too long confirming it. 

Hearts suffered a major injury blow on the hour as Halkett crumpled with a serious-looking calf injury when playing a ball out to his left. 

The defender was eventually stretchered off, replaced by Frankie Kent. 

McLean was then summoned to the monitor following a Hearts corner which saw Kyziridis left on the floor under a challenge from Longelo. 

The Well defender certainly looked to have caught his foot, but the whistler infuriated the Jambos by saying no. 

Shankland couldn’t connect with a cross from the left as Hearts bounced back and forward trying to get a winner. 

But despite pinging balls into the box, they couldn’t make the breakthrough. 

Now they have to watch Celtic Park and hope for a helping hand. 

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