Heart of Midlothian secured an important win at Tynecastle Park on Tuesday evening in what was a turbulent and chaotic evening of football.

Steven Naismith's men came from 2-0 down at half-time, strikes from Jordan McGhee and Lyall Cameron, to emerge 3-2 winners thanks to goals from Calem Nieuwenhof, Dexter Lembikisa and substitute Yutardo Oda. 

Joel Sked and James Cairney look back at a result which leaves Hearts in third, eight points clear of Kilmarnock.

READ MORE: The contrast between Hearts home and away form explained

Marvelous comeback

Hearts had the chance to take command of third place in the Premiership with less than half the season left. Three points would take the side eight points clear in third. While teams below have games in hand, some more than others, it would be a big win in terms of mentality. The likes of Hibs, Aberdeen and Kilmarnock would have to blow out their cheeks, ready for an ascent to catch Steven Naismith's men.

For a long time, that didn't look like happening. For the second home game running, the Tynecastle Park side found themselves trailing by two goals. The boos that greeted the half-time whistle were emphatic. Even after the interval, Dundee looked like being the more likely team to score.

Then, out of nowhere, Nieuwenhof fired a 25-yarder into the bottom corner. It gave the team hope. Something to build on. And build on it they did. Well, eventually. Lawrence Shankland missed his third penalty in a row. But, still, the team came again and again.

Hearts only managed to get a point against Ross County last time out in Gorgie. This time it was three points. And what a huge three points they could be in the grand scheme of things. The teams in the chasing pack will have been rubbing their hands when they saw Cameron had put Dundee ahead. What the comeback does is not only prove that this Hearts team are made of sterner stuff, good characters, but it may well knock the stuffing out of both Hibs and Aberdeen who play on Wednesday night.

Defence caught cold too often 

The defensive solidity provided by the back three has been one of the main reasons for Hearts’ upturn in form over the past two months or so, but the hosts’ backline looked fragile indeed at Tynecastle Park. Both of Dundee’s first-half goals were entirely preventable, and both came about via some out-of-character sloppiness at the back. 

The first, at least, was marginal – but there was a warning only moments before that went unheeded. Only a superb save from Zander Clark denied a Zach Robinson header to keep the score at 0-0. A few seconds later and the ball was shelled towards Amadou Bakayoko, who nodded it back to the unmarked McGhee on the edge of the area. The former Hearts man’s first-time finish was sublime, but he was afforded a mystifying amount of space. 

The second was a comedy of errors, and it all started with a Hearts throw-in inside their own half. Dundee pressed hard, forcing Alex Cochrane to switch it out to Lembikisa on the far side. The pass was short, and Lembikisa was beaten to it by Dara Costelloe. Frankie Kent then came rushing out, mistimed his challenge, and the ball was poked through to Cameron to apply a composed finish into the bottom right-hand corner. 

Dundee had taken their chances in fine fashion, but the men in maroon had been the masters of their own downfall. There were other hairy moments at the back as the game wore on – Craig Halkett, in particular, was careless at times – but Dundee failed to take full advantage. 

As Storm Jocelyn made her presence felt on a wet and windy night in Gorgie, the home side were often caught cold at the back too often. And, barring one man, not much was working for Hearts going forward either as they trudged off to a chorus of boos at half-time.

Half-time switch

Naismith didn't do what a number of managers do and allow the team to have five or 10 minutes after the interval to rectify struggles from the first half. Having already brought Alan Forrest on for the injured Aidan Denholm he decided to bring Jorge Grant on for Cochrane, who very much had an off night. It also represented another switch in shape.

When Forrest came on the team went from 3-5-2 to 3-4-3. In the second half, it was 4-2-3-1. It may have taken time to take hold but Hearts benefited from the width higher up the park. It became a case of getting the ball wide and then into the box. Kenneth Vargas and Forrest both had really positive moments. The former fired a couple of dangerous crosses into the six-yard box, while the latter set up Lembikisa for his headed equaliser.

They were ably supported by both full-backs. Lembikisa wasn't shy in getting high and to the byline, while Stephen Kingsley provided a more supporting role, making sure not to crowd Forrest. His cross led to the penalty kick given to Hearts.

The team were helped by the introduction of Macaulay Tait for the injured Beni Baningime. The youngster was more effective at moving the ball from side to side.

Lembikisa seizes his chance

The on-loan Wolves defender looked bright when he came off the bench in the second half of the 2-1 win at Ainslie Park, and was rewarded with a first start for Hearts against Dundee. Hearts weren’t getting much joy when getting forward, unless Lembikisa was on the ball. Then, without fail, the right wing-back would try something inventive. 

Sometimes he’d drop the shoulder and burst past an opponent; sometimes he’d cut back inside and leave his man for dead. Capable of dribbling past an opponent or crossing from deep with either foot, the 20-year-old was a thorn in Dundee’s side and his versatility caused problems all evening. He was front and centre of just about everything that Hearts did well, and the visitors struggled to handle him. 

He teed up Shankland for Hearts' best chance of the first half, was always willing to take on his man, and even had a pop at goal himself. It’s the sort of forward-thinking play that was sorely lacking from many of his teammates during a tepid first half.  

The Jamaican was already the best player on the park wearing maroon, and then he underlined those credentials with the all-important equaliser. It was no less than Lembikisa deserved for a performance full of promise – and he looks to be a very savvy addition indeed. Hearts can be pedestrian in possession at times, but Lembikisa is anything but. 

Three goals, finally

It has taken Hearts until the 22nd league of the season to score three goals in a game. Remarkably, not one was scored by Lawrence Shankland. There have been a few criticisms of the Hearts side, even with the team sitting third. They have not scored enough goals, they are too reliant on Shankland and their home form hasn't been as good as fans expect.

This win ticks all three boxes. 

Encouragingly, all three goals were different. There was a daisy cutter from outside the box, a headeder from a cross and then a nice bit of play in tight areas in and around the box.

Few could have expected any of that at half-time.