Zander Clark shot out an arm to his right. It was as if it was a direction to Martin Boyle. A command even. Seconds later the Heart of Midlothian goalkeeper was dropping to that right side, expertly turning the Hibs forward's penalty onto the post.

Having witnessed Lawrence Shankland send a penalty off the post, Clark delivered a huge moment for Hearts. It took the momentum away from Hibs and their fans who were on a high and were expecting to get even higher.

“I’m sick and tired of doing homework on penalties," the goalkeeper joked afterward. "They can go anywhere, they can put you off but we always do look over them. You can’t really say they will go this way or that way, it’s how you feel in the moment. I was probably due one.

“It got our fans going again and gave everyone a lift."

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Shankland's match-winning moment in stoppage time wouldn't have arrived if it wasn't for Clark's penalty stop. Or the denial of Dylan Vente and Elie Youan after the interval. It was a huge performance from the goalkeeper in the context of collective success.

Individually it was even bigger.

Rewind to Saturday at Tynecastle Park when St Mirren were the visitors. Just before half-time, Clark went down with a knock which required treatment. The anticipation grew around the ground. No ill will was directed towards Clark and a possible substitution but there was an excitement around the potential return of Craig Gordon. The Hearts legend was stripped. He was given a rousing reception as he jogged past the Main Stand towards the Gorgie Stand. Clark would carry on with Section G singing his name, recognising his efforts.

Ever since Gordon returned to the first-team squad at the start of the month, Clark has been in an unenviable position. And for that, there is a degree of sympathy. He is the man between Gordon and his Hearts return having been out for nearly a year. A return a lot of fans understandably want to see.

Yet, to his absolute credit, Clark has appeared emboldened by that pressure. That competition.

"The circumstances he is dealing with is that there is a legend of the club, who is an unbelievable goalie, back fit," Steven Naismith said. "That’s competition for places and it’s not easy to deal with, especially when it’s a goalie and there is only one position. But Zander has dealt with it perfectly. He is a top goalie."

That last part should not be forgotten. Hearts have the best 1-2 goalkeeper combination in Scotland. He was a shrewd addition when his St Johnstone contract expired. It turned out to be an inspired signing when Gordon suffered a double leg break more than a year ago. Clark has filled his gloves to a good standard but there have certainly been doubts and questions over his quality.

What has perhaps gone against the 31-year-old is that many are likely comparing him to Gordon. Gordon is a generational talent. 

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The criticism he has received has been OTT at times. Yes, there have been mistakes. The most egregious of which was the concession of a goal to St Mirren earlier this season. He didn't cover himself in glory against Rangers and Aberdeen in defeats this month. Going to Celtic Park following those two games, it would have been easy for Naismith to make a change between the sticks. Few would have batted an eyelid. But he stuck with Clark. A bigger, braver decision than restoring Gordon.

Following three consecutive clean sheets - now 10 for the season in the league - culminating in his finest moment for Hearts, he is now, for the short term at least, undroppable.

Is he perfect? No. But what player in Scotland is? There can be hesitancy coming off his line and his decision-making could be better when sweeping or collecting crosses. Goalkeeper stats from StatsBomb show he is towards the bottom of the league for goalkeeper aggressive distance, essentially the average value of how far from the goal the goalkeeper is coming forward to perform defensive actions. He can also cause hearts to find their way into mouths when collecting crosses, usually clutching it at the second attempt.

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But when it comes to keeping the ball out of the net, he's one of the best in the Premiership. His positioning is very good, giving him a good platform to ensure he is correctly placed to repel any efforts. In turn, his shot-stopping is amongst the most effective in the league. Only St Johnstone's Dimitar Mitov and Ross Laidlaw of Ross County have prevented more goals, according to Opta Analyst. He has been worth 4.5 goals to Hearts. When the number of games Hearts have won by a solitary goal is factored in, it is a significant contribution. In those terms, he is performing better than Gordon was before his injury last season.

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So much of being a goalkeeper, however, comes back to mentality. To strength of character. You look at Gordon and his continued superhero feats in battling back from injury and then producing jaw-dropping saves. As for Clark, not so long ago there seemed to be a bit of nervousness, namely a dropped cross against St Johnstone at Tynecastle Park which translated to the home support.

But it is a huge testament to Clark that he continues to perform under extra scrutiny when there is a verifiable goalkeeping legend on the bench. Not only perform but grow in stature and importance as well. The acclaim he received at Easter Road was well deserved.

For Hearts, generally, they are in an enviable position of having two Scotland internationals. Two excellent shot-stoppers. Two excellent goalkeepers. But the current No.1 is Zander Clark.