Hearts storm back to beat Dundee - consequences in race for third as Shankland suffers another penalty miss

Premiership duo serve up a five-goal thriller as Storm Jocelyn descends on Tynecastle

Don't let a storm get in the way of a good game of football. Tynecastle may have been buffeted by 40mph winds and lashed with incessant showers but it did not stop Hearts and Dundee serving up some wild entertainment in the capital.

Granted, the quality of football was far from the finest – how could it be when Storm Jocelyn rocked up – but those who braved the elements were treated to five goals, plenty of VAR drama, a missed penalty and a stirring comeback that keeps the Jambos on course for third place in the Premiership.

Trailing 2-0 at the interval, Hearts rallied in the rain. Not even a missed penalty from Lawrence Shankland cost them. Goals from Calem Nieuwenhof, Dexter Lembikisa and Yutaro Oda gave them a 3-2 win that has massive consequences in the race for third. Steven Naismith's men are now eight points clear in that position. Granted, they threw away a bigger advantage than that last season when finishing fourth, but there is momentum building in Gorgie. They are now seven games unbeaten.

Hearts' Yutaro Oda celebrates as he scores to make it 3-2 over Dundee at Tynecastle Park. (Photo by Mark Scates / SNS Group)

Dundee, who remain in seventh, will lament how they let such a nice advantage slip. Two lovely goals via ex-Hearts youngster Jordan McGhee and young Lyall Cameron had them in control at half time, their midfield feistier than their opponents. Their boss Tony Docherty will be furious at the way they collapsed under the first bit of pressure.

Hearts' fortitude, conversely, cannot be questioned. This is a team that recently won at Celtic Park, scored a last-minute Edinburgh derby winner and came back from 2-0 down in their last home game against Ross County to draw. This time, they went one better. Naismith deserves credit for changing formation from 3-5-2 to 4-2-3-1 at half time and his substitutes, Alan Forrest, Macaulay Tait and matchwinner Oda all played significant parts in the victory.

Injuries to midfielders Aidan Denholm and Beni Baningime will cause concern, as will Shankland's surprising spurning of yet another penalty. For the third time in a row, Hearts' top scorer was foiled from the spot. But as in the games against Hibs and Livingston, it did not prove costly. Perhaps Naismith will hand over 12-yard duties to someone else now.

Shankland's return from a virus and the reinstatement of Zander Clark in goal ahead of Craig Gordon were the big team-news talking points. The conditions and the absence of trains post 7pm on a miserable Tuesday night resulted in empty seats across the stadium and while Hearts' hybrid pitch withstood the rain, the concern was that the spectacle would be ruined by the gusts.

Such fears were allayed quickly. Dundee took the lead on 19 minutes when McGhee curled home sumptuously past Clark – the goal survived a VAR check – before, on 38 minutes, Dara Costelloe pounced on a slack Alex Cochrane pass to set up Josh Mulligan for a neat finish.

Never write off Hearts at this place, though. Calem Nieuwenhof halved the arrears with a daisycutter on 57 minutes, then Shankland was given the chance from the spot nine minutes later after a VAR check identified a push on him in the box. Trevor Carson saved well but Dundee could not stop the momentum. Lembikisa headed home an excellent Forrest cross on 74 minutes before Oda clipped home four minutes from time.