Hearts book place in Scottish Cup final against Rangers or Celtic after victory over Hibs in feisty Hampden clash

Hearts booked their place in the Scottish Cup final with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over 10-man Hibs at Hampden and in doing so ensured European group-stage football next season.

The Tynecastle side took a 2-0 lead in the opening 21 minutes, courtesy of two quality strikes from Ellis Simms and then Stephen Kingsley, but their derby rivals showed more character than they managed in last weekend’s Premiership defeat and responded positively, reducing the deficit through Chris Cadden in the 22nd minute.

In a feisty encounter, which saw referee John Beaten flash eight yellow cards and a red, sending Joe Newell packing with 26 minutes left on the clock, Robbie Neilson’s side held their nerve to see out the match despite losing defenders Craig Halkett and Stephen Kingsley to injury and maintained the club’s 100% winning record over their city foes at the national stadium.

They will wait to see if they face Celtic or Rangers in the May 21 final.

Stephen Kingsley celebrates scoring a stunning free-kick for Hearts against Hibs.

A message from the Editor: Thank you for reading this article. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by Coronavirus impacts our advertisers. If you haven't already, please consider supporting our trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription.