Edinburgh | Hearts ease to victory over Aberdeen

Hearts 2 - 0 Aberdeen

Hearts opened their Scottish Premiership season with a composed and convincing victory over an erratic Aberdeen side at Tynecastle.

Author | Jack L

Stadium | Tynecastle

A good start to the season for Hearts

Derek McInnes’ visitors began brightly, applying early pressure on the Scottish Cup holders, only for captain Graeme Shinnie to inadvertently turn Harry Milne’s low cross into his own net.

Summer arrival Stuart Findlay secured the win late in the second half, reacting sharply at the back post to force home another Milne delivery.

Hearts came into the match full of confidence after progressing through the Premier Sports Cup group stage with a perfect record, and expectations are rising among supporters. Minority owner Tony Bloom has fuelled that optimism, suggesting the club have a “very good chance” of finishing second this season.

Spurred on by a boisterous Tynecastle crowd, the hosts started with real intensity and were rewarded when Shinnie diverted the ball into his own net on his 34th birthday. Moments later, Milne nearly made it two with a fierce left-footed effort from range that thundered off the post.

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Aberdeen responded swiftly, with Kusini Yengi striking the woodwork at the other end as the match erupted into a frantic opening half hour.

That pace eventually eased as the interval approached, but Hearts believed they had doubled their advantage when Lawrence Shankland bent a superb effort past Dimitar Mitov. The joy was short-lived, with VAR intervening to rule it out for an offside in the build-up.

It was a bad night for Aberdeen.

Aberdeen squandered their few second-half chances, Yengi misfiring and Adil Aouchiche failing to connect cleanly in front of goal. Those misses proved costly when Findlay rose unmarked to nod in the second and settle the contest.

Which players stood out for the home side?

Stuart Findlay

Findlay was comfortable on the left of defence and offered a security which let Milne attack down the flank to good effect. He scored a good goal and will be hoping to add a few more throughout the upcoming campaign.

Craig Halkett

Commanding in the air throughout the 90 minutes. He was booked for a foul on Nilsen, which he disputed. The highlight of his performance was a superb sliding tackle on Aouchiche to stop him shooting. Hearts fans will see him as a key player if they are to achieve European qualification this season.

Cammy Devlin

Anchored the midfield well. Put in some superb tackles which stopped the Aberdeen players from developing any real rhythm in their play. This was a magnificent performance, with the only downside being the customary booking.