Dundee United 1 Hearts 1: Exhausted Hearts run out of gas

It is impossible to sustain the industry, energy and desire shown by those in maroon yesterday for an entire 90 minutes. What was surprising was the resolve shown by the visitors, who grew stronger as the match progressed despite their midweek Europa League exertions in Athens.

Hearts could, probably should, have transformed a full hour of relentless pressure and territorial dominance into more than one goal. David Templeton converted a low finish on 30 minutes after a searing run by the impressive Suso Santana from the edge of his own penalty area. United were pummelled, pounded and punch-drunk by the 60th minute but somehow found a second wind.

They missed a penalty due to Marian Kello's expert save from Jon Daly after Ismael Bouzid was judged to have handled a high ball in the box. The sense of injustice felt by Hearts saw first-team coach Gary Locke dismissed from the home technical area by referee Craig Thomson. Then, five minutes from time, substitute Morgaro Gomis dispatched a searing left-footed wonder strike into Kello's top corner to secure United a point.

Hearts trudged off knowing they had delivered a gutsy and bullish display, but cursing the late concession which robbed them of third place in the SPL after three matches.

"We need to stop conceding stupid goals and then we can achieve anything," said Kello. "We want to be as high as we can at the end of the season but we have a lot to do. In the first game of the season against St Johnstone we were a little unlucky. Yesterday we should win. I know they had some chances but we should win.

"When I saved the penalty I was thinking this was the point when we would go on and win the game. We lost possession and they had pressure on us. We don't have so much experience in the team, guys who can keep the ball. I think this is why we lost the goal.

"I did touch the ball at the goal and I'm not too happy because of this. With a bit of luck I could have pushed it away. I'm unhappy it went in. In previous games I didn't have too many saves. Yesterday it was a few at the end. With these saves I can improve psychologically, it can help me in other games."

The Slovakian stopped two late drives from Craig Conway to preserve the 1-1 scoreline, and his opinion that inexperience contributed to a late retreat was shared by his manager Jim Jefferies.

"I was forced into four changes from last week: Wallace, Zaliukas, Palazuelos and Elliot all out. No disrespect to the guys that came in like Mrowiec, who did well in his first start, but I think that made a difference. First half we were on top and deserved to come in with the lead. I thought we started the second reasonably well and had a couple of good balls in the box.

"Wee Temps was a bit unlucky with a shot that took a big deflection. Then United changed it, they put five in midfield with the two guys out wide and went a little more direct. Even though Daly wasn't winning all the headers, they kept picking up the second ball. So we had to drop Ryan (Stevenson] into the centre of the park to help us.

"I thought it was a strange decision for the penalty but we got justice with a great save. We thought then that we were going to hang on, that we'd taken everything they could throw at us. I don't think you could legislate for their goal, probably goal of the season. People talk about putting it in the top corner, well I don't think you can get any more top corner than that. Just unstoppable. It had to be as good as that to beat us because Kello played very well. Overall I wouldn't deny them their point because they deserved it.

"I'm just disappointed we couldn't get that second goal and I felt, if we had the players that were out, then they could have maybe been able to see us through it."

Wallace declared himself unable to play having taken an injection in an injured ankle two hours before kick-off, while Elliot's knee was not sufficiently ready for a demanding SPL fixture. Zaliukas remains ensconced in Lithuania, harbouring an injured knee, and in talks with Vladimir Romanov over a new contract.

"He (Wallace] injured it against Elgin and we got a scan, there is no ligament or bone problem," said Jefferies. "We tried an injection and hoped that he would be able to play but he came back in from the warm-up and said it didn't have any affect. We'll have to see how he goes but he's feeling a bit of discomfort with it.

"He'll not cause any further damage, we've assured him of that. It's just that if you keep on it then it's not going to clear, see we need to rest it and let it clear up. I was hopeful he would be all right after Tuesday but it just wouldn't go away as he was in discomfort throughout the week.

"With losing Zaliukas as well we had to make a couple of changes to the back four. Darren Barr, who played right-back last week, had to come back into the centre and played very well again. Just frustrating things like that, it's maybe one of the reasons we didn't cope with the last 20 minutes."More experience and calmer heads could have been the difference."

After a game with regular high balls played by both teams, some from wide areas and some through the middle, United manager Peter Houston felt Hearts employed only route one football.

"Hearts' only threat to us was banging it from back to front and playing off the second ball from Kyle," he said. "We've had a tough time recently with travelling but I thought towards the end of the game there was only one team hanging on. I'd have been gutted for the players to leave with nothing. In the second half we were the only team going to score.

"I went 4-3-3 to get a goal and Gomis has really said 'get it up you' to me because he was left out of the team recently due to poor form. I said to (assistants] Kirky and Heggy that we're going for it towards the end. In the second half there were waves of attacks at the Hearts goal and I can't praise the players enough. We only have two points out of nine, but we've only lost two matches away from home in a year and we're determined to keep that going."