Hearts displayed resilience after a demanding week, edging out St Johnstone with a 2-1 win at home and maintaining their hold on second place in the Scottish Premiership. The Jambos, buoyed by a midweek Conference League play‑off success against Rapid Vienna, capitalised on a two‑goal advantage that came from an early strike by James Wilson and a second goal that was recorded as an own‑goal by Saints newcomer Enes Alic. However, the momentum shifted after the interval when Ruari Paton pulled one back for the visitors, leaving Hearts to cling to their lead in the final minutes. Wouter Vrancken, the Hearts manager, made four alterations to the lineup that had travelled to Austria on Wednesday.
Christian Borchgrevink, Tomas Magnusson, Laurent Mendy and Sabah Kerjota were introduced, while American forward JJ Williams was named on the bench. St Johnstone, returning after a three‑week lay‑off, gave Bosnian left‑back Enes Alic his debut for the club.
The match opened with Hearts signalling intent in the seventh minute. A corner taken by Jordi Altena was headed back across the six‑yard line by Magnusson, only for Toby Steward to push Mendy's header over the bar.
Two minutes later, Josh McPake pounced on a loose pass from Saints defender Zach Mitchell, slipping a perfectly timed ball to Wilson. The striker burst into the box and fired past the exposed Steward to give the home side the lead.
Kerjota then cut in from the right, but his low effort was comfortably blocked by Steward. The Saints goalkeeper, meanwhile, managed to parry a deflected strike from Mendy at around 20 yards. Jamie Gullan threatened for St Johnstone when his shot went wide after a cross from Liam Smith, following a momentary lapse by Borchgrevink.
Hearts continued to press. Altena earned a free‑kick that Steward saved, and the resulting corner saw Mendy head the ball towards goal, only for the referee to rule out the effort for a foul on the Saints keeper.
Later, in the 39th minute, Mendy and Alic combined to bundle a free‑kick from the left into the six‑yard area, where Hearts doubled their advantage. McPake added to the pressure, driving in from the left before Steward again pushed the ball behind the line.
The second half began with St Johnstone showing renewed purpose. In the 48th minute, Paton out‑muscled Altena to latch onto Sam Stanton's through ball, then slotted past the exposed Beau Reus from just inside the box to make it 2‑1.
The visitors continued to press, and Hearts defender Stuart Findlay diverted another cross from Alic just wide of the post, almost equalising for the Saints. Mid‑way through the half, Hearts seemed to regain composure.
Substitute Landry Kabore saw his chance denied by a spectacular save from Steward, and Blair Spittal curled a brilliant effort that struck the underside of the cross‑bar. As the clock wound down, St Johnstone piled on the pressure, but Vrancken's side held firm to secure back‑to‑back league wins. After the match, Hearts head coach Wouter Vrancken reflected on the performance: "The first half was decent, though we could have added more goals.
After they scored, we panicked a little and lost some of our quality, fighting just to keep the result. I'm proud of the players; they played 120 minutes with only two days of rest. Recovery is difficult, and many forget how hard that is. When St Johnstone scored, the fatigue hit us both physically and emotionally, but the squad stuck together and fought as a unit.
That collective spirit is essential, especially in tough moments, and they delivered today." St Johnstone manager Simo Valakari offered his perspective: "Conceding two goals in the first half is a mountain to climb. We're disappointed with the result, but not with the effort, desire, or the football we displayed. We created many chances, and in this environment you have to take them.
In the second half we pressed hard, using our rotations, movement and passing to suffocate the opposition. We are a very good team, but we need to convert our chances, and that was the disappointment today." The win not only kept Hearts in the chase for the title but also highlighted the squad's depth, with newcomers like Mendy and Kerjota making immediate impacts.
The match also underscored the physical toll of competing on multiple fronts, as Hearts balanced domestic league ambitions with European commitments. Looking ahead, the Jambos will aim to build on this hard‑earned victory, hoping to sustain their momentum and challenge for the Premiership crown as the season progresses.