Hearts wait for 150th derby win: Devlin, depth and Vargas

The visitors went ahead within the first half hour through Emiliano Marcondes but Hearts hit back in first-half stoppage time through a Lawrence Shankland penalty.

Joel and James look back at the Tynecastle Park encounter.

READ MORE: Steven Naismith Q&A - Shankland composure, idiots in away end and Kent update

Not the result that was wanted

Hearts made sure not to follow up Saturday's shellacking at Ibrox with another defeat in the derby but there was still disappointment with the draw, as there should always be for the men in maroon at home to Hibs.

It was the opportunity to get the 150th competitive win in the fixture in the year of the club's 150th anniversary. In truth, the home side did not deserve to walk away with three points. The visitors bettered Hearts when it came to shots, chances and xG.

Both had chances to win the game in the second half but even the most fervent fan of the Maroons would admit a point was probably what the performance was worthy of, even if they have seen the team come away with three having played poorly on a number of other occasions.

Same first-half story, until it wasn't

It was a case of deja vu for Hearts and their supporters as they watched on. Steven Naismith's men were far from their best for large periods of the first half. The home side were more direct from the start and looked to hit Shankland or turn in the Hibs defence down the flanks. Not an uncommon approach to a derby, in fact relatively sensible. But they were unable to squeeze the game sufficiently and hem the visitors in. Instead, the Leith outfit were able to play out and through midfield.

Once Hibs gained control their confidence grew and they were the better side for the opening half hour. They were better on the ball, they were more effective and disruptive out of possession and they were getting their forward players in dangerous areas. When the goal did arrive it wasn't against the run of play but Hearts played a key role in their own downfall as Frankie Kent fell over as Martin Boyle pressured before Emiliano Marcondes fired into the net after Alex Cochrane had half-cleared.

At that point, you feared for the home side. Hibs were in the ascendancy and may well have smelt blood. It was at that point you looked toward the clock and half-time so Hearts could sort themselves. But they managed to do it in the final 15-20 minutes of the half. They got a hold of the ball with Calem Nieuwenhof key and Hibs backed off as if it was the final stages of the match. It culminated in a Lawrence Shankland penalty (albeit via a very soft award from Kevin Clancy). It was the first Hearts goal in the first half of the Premiership match since before Christmas.

Devlin stakes his claim

The diminutive Aussie hasn’t featured much of late through a combination of injury and form – this was the 25-year-old’s first start since October’s 4-1 loss at home to Celtic – and he made the most of it during the 65 minutes or so he was on the park before he was substituted.

In a first half where not much went right for Hearts, Devlin was a bright spark. He seemed to cover just about each and every blade of grass on the Tynecastle Park surface, and the hustle and bustle of an Edinburgh derby. Never one to shy away from a tackle, a few of his more vigorous challenges were greeted with roars of approval from the home crowd. This was a derby, after all, and Devlin required no further incentive to leave one on his opponents.

When Hearts came out for the second half with a more aggressive approach, Devlin led from the front, pressing high up the park and putting the Hibs backline under some welcome pressure. His often-maligned work on the ball was absolutely fine too, even when he found himself playing in the No.10 role for the final 10 minutes or so he was on the park.

Devlin would be brought off midway through the second half, but the midfielder could reflect on a productive evening’s work. After struggling for game time, he needed to serve a reminder of what he can bring to this Hearts team – and he did so in fine fashion.

READ MORE: What Montgomery boss said about missiles, penalty and why Hibs 'deserved' win

Vargas goes it alone

Kenneth Vargas’ upturn in form over the past couple of months has been one of the big success stories of Naismith’s reign, but the Costa Rican could have offered a lot more against Hibs. He was guilty of playing with his head down, of not being aware of his surroundings – and it was clearly frustrating his team-mates.

It’s hard to blame them. Hearts had struggled to create clear-cut chances throughout the match, and most of the team’s efforts at goal were from distance or unfavourable angles. Three times, though, the men in maroon found themselves bursting forward on the counter-attack during the second half, and Vargas was the man in possession with options all around him. On all three occasions, he went alone when there were better alternatives.

The linesman’s flag spared his blushes for the first one, but it was a poor decision nonetheless. Shankland was waiting for the cut-back, but instead Vargas blazed over. A few minutes passed and Vargas found himself in a similar situation, driving at David Marshall’s goal. Jorge Grant was unmarked and screaming for the pass; again, Vargas went himself. Another 10 minutes passed, and he was then played through by Shankland. Vargas could’ve held it up but he elected to have a pop, scuffing his shot wide of the near post.

They were three scenarios that could have turned the game in Hearts’ favour, and Vargas took the wrong option every time. With a little more nous, it could have been very different.

Bench depth

There is no doubting the quality of the Hearts squad and the depth it has in certain areas, namely centre midfield and defence. However, with Yutaro Oda's calf injury, Steven Naismith was limited in terms of what options he had off the bench to change things up in an attacking sense.

Both Barrie McKay and Liam Boyce would be valuable squad players at this time of the year to be able to interchange with the likes of Kenneth Vargas and Alan Forrest. The latter played the full 90 minutes, while the former was replaced late on by teenager Finlay Pollock, in what was an intense and energy-sapping encounter, mentally and physically. Jorge Grant provided a more attack-minded midfield option. 

Changing the front three was more difficult. While Nick Montgomery could turn to both Elie Youan and Jair Tavares, Naismith only really had Kyosuke Tagawa. Admittedly, at the moment it is not a game in which you would bring him into and expect to produce in going by previous evidence. 

Shankland, Forrest and Vargas have all done really well in recent months but having Boyce, McKay and Oda in the ranks would only have helped.