Ross County 1 - 1 Hearts: How the players rated on each side

Hearts' Kyle Lafferty scores to make it 1-0. Picture: SNS/Paul Devlin

ROSS COUNTY

Scott Fox - 6

Made good saves from Adao and Souttar but lost Lafferty’s free-kick in-flight, which could have proven costly.

Jason Naismith - 8

Defended stoutly, offered a constant outlet on the right hand side and his smart finish earned County a point.

Liam Fontaine - 7

Bar one uncomfortable moment in the first half when he dallied on the ball, formed an effective partnership with Souttar to keep Lafferty quiet.

Harry Souttar - 7

The youngster worked well with Fontaine and was rarely troubled by an ineffective Hearts forward line.

Marcus Fraser - 6

Less impressive than Naismith on the other side, but dealt competently with Cowie and Smith.

Mattias Kait - 5

The Estonian midfielder offered little as an attacking threat in a stuffy contest.

Christopher Routis - 6

It wasn’t until late-on that Routis began to have a positive influence on the game, but it was his pass which lead to Naismith’s goal.

Jim O’Brien - 6

Had one of County’s best chances in the first half, but his shot was blocked by John Souttar. Quiet in the second half.

Davis Kellior-Dunn - 7

County’s only creative spark in the first half, he spurned an excellent chance to equalise for County in the second period.

David Ngog - 6

Looked most effective when picking up the ball midway inside the opposition half and bringing others into play, but struggled to impose himself further forward.

Alex Schalk - 5

A difficult game for the striker, who found chances hard to come by. Correctly ruled offside when it looked like County had scored in stoppage time.

SUBS

Greg Tansey - 6

Put some dangerous balls into the box as County turned the screw towards the end.

Craig Curran - 6

His physical presence caused Hearts’ defence problems.

Ryan Dow - N/A

Little time to make an impact.

HEARTS

John McLaughlin - 6

Made a good save from Routis but was otherwise relatively untroubled as County struggled to create opportunities.

Michael Smith - 6

Another solid performance from Smith, who stopped Kellior-Dunn from influencing the game in dangerous areas.

John Souttar - 8

An excellent performance. Made a couple of crucial first half blocks and dominated in the air.

Christophe Berra - 7

Overshadowed by the young partner, but still looked comfortable for much of the match.

Demetri Mitchell - 7

A class act at left back. Defended competently, smart in possession and offered an attacking threat from deep.

Joaquim Adao - 6

In a scrappy game, stopped County’s central midfielders from gaining a foothold in the game. Unlucky not to score with a sharp first half drive.

Don Cowie - 6

Worked hard to create openings, but with limited success.

Ross Callachan - 6

Bustling and industrious, but lacking in composure when it mattered.

Arnaud Djoum - N/A

Stretchered off after 25 minutes having tripped over the turf in seemingly innocuous fashion.

David Milinkovic - 5

A frustrating day for the winger, who made little impact on the proceedings.

Kyle Lafferty - 6

Continually gave away possession cheaply, but showed excellent technique to steer his free-kick past Scott Fox.

SUBS

Andrew Irving - 6

Came on early for Djoum and slotted in with minimal fuss to the midfield battle.

Euan Henderson - 6

A couple of powerful runs helped ease the pressure on Hearts’ defence.

Anthony McDonald - N/A

A late sub.