Hearts reaction: Why this team is now a serious threat, key game looms for relegation battle, VAR once again

Hearts' Cammy Devlin challenges Kilmarnock's Benjamin Chrisene during the victory over the Ayrshire men at Tynecastle.

Hearts reinforcements

It would be reckless to assume anything after just one game back after the World Cup break, but there are ominous signs for the rest of the clubs who are hoping to deny Hearts back to back third place finishes. Robbie Neilson’s team have been able to hold onto the coattails of others even with the dual demands of domestic and European football and the debilitating list of injuries to key personnel in the opening period of the season. Now they can focus fully on the league and the Scottish Cup and the routes both offer them back into Europe next season. And, they can do it with more and more first-choice players in the ranks.

The defensive stability offered by Craig Halkett and Stephen Kingsley will undoubtedly be strengthened when Kye Rowles is also added to the line-up, while Barrie McKay showed more of his mercurial moments and Robert Snodgrass’ footballing intellect is now carried around the pitch by a body that is more willing and able.

There were some vulnerabilities against Killie, as Hearts sat back and allowed Killie to come at them in the second half, and against better opposition that could have been costly. But, when they are switched on there are definitely signs of the relentlessness and steely resolve that saw them finish best of the rest last season and with more players ready to return in the coming weeks and months, there should be the strength and depth needed to give those ambitions extra clout.

Add to that Lawrence Shankland’s goal-scoring return – his double on Saturday took him joint top of the league charts – and they are a serious threat.

VAR

After a miserable and headache-inducing introduction prior to the World Cup, there was the hope that things would calm down when play resumed. There were a couple of moments throughout the match that irritated pockets of fans but the decisions seemed less intrusive and the ridiculously-lengthy reviews everyone was subjected to last month were missing.

However, there was to be no escape from the controversy, with Kilmarnock annoyed with the late penalty ruling. Derek McInnes’ men, who are just three points above bottom-club Dundee United, are desperate for any points that would give them foothold as they try to climb out of the relegation battle and they were adamant that Joe Wright had been nudged in the back and that the subsequent momentum caused his arms to be in an unnatural position when the ball struck him.

Referee Willie Collum disagreed, as did VAR. Add it to the row over the officials’ unwillingness to grant a spot-kick for handball against Rangers’ James Sands in the victory over Hibs at Ibrox and it is clear that VAR will be making headlines, and infuriating players, coaches and fans for a while yet.

Relegation battle

Friday night’s scheduled meeting between Kilmarnock and Motherwell at Fir Park will be a fascinating one, provided the home club can solve the issues caused by frozen pipes and the flooded main stand. For the opening 45 minutes against Hearts it was easier to see why the Ayrshire club are in the position they are in but there was more than enough on show after the interval to suggest they have enough to get themselves out of that mess. The tightness of the league means they are only two points behind ninth-placed Motherwell. That renders head-to-heads between the clubs in that bottom sector all the more engrossing.