How Hearts dropped back to the bottom of the Premiership

The home side took the lead in the first half through Alan Forrest but goals from Matty Kennedy and Kyle Vassell handed Derek McInnes' men a deserved win.

Joel Sked and Craig Cairns look back at a disappointing night in Gorgie.

Reality check

It demonstrates the position Hearts were in when Neil Critchley was appointed that after a good week of work in the new head coach's first three games the team find themselves back propping up the Premiership table following the latest defeat.

A home loss to Killie is nothing new. Or surprising. Of the last 11 meetings between the side in Gorgie, the Ayrshire side have won seven. What is concerning is the way Hearts fell to defeat. They looked to be in a great position at half-time but gave up cheap goals in the second half and never looked like getting back into it. 

Make no mistake. This was a big game for Hearts. You only need to look at the fixture list to see that. After St Johnstone, the next three games are against teams in the top three. The feeling has been that Hearts, with the squad they have, begin to motor up the Scottish Premiership. It's not as straightforward as that. Nothing is given out in this league on reputation or expectation. The reality is you have to properly earn every single point. Winning your battles, defending solidly and playing forward quickly.

Hearts have been good lately at going right to the end. That wasn't the case tonight.

Opener against the run of play

Neil Critchley made two changes to his starting XI, bringing in Alan Forrest and Adam Forrester, lining up in a 4-2-3-1. Hearts controlled the early parts of the game though without creating too much Kilmarnock lined up with two banks of four, happy for their opponents to have the ball and keeping very little space between their defence and attack.

The space for the opening goal came from quick thinking from the Hearts skipper. Lawrence Shankland was back in his own half defending when he won a throw. Seconds later, Blair Spittal was laying it off to Forrest in the box to make it 1-0. It was a remarkably similar finish and to his goal last midweek against Omonia Nicosia and brought with it a dose of relief as Kilmarnock had started to grow into the game. For all Hearts’ possession, there was a vulnerability – none more so than when Kye Rowles made a goal-saving clearance after Kyle Vassell had knocked the ball past Craig Gordon.

First poor performance under Critchley

Hearts appeared for the second half in a slightly different shape. What started as a 4-2-3-1 became a 4-4-2 with Spittal coming out to the left and Kenneth Vargas going up front. It initially worked quite well as Hearts created a few chances but two Kilmarnock goals within five minutes around the hour mark turned the game on its head. They were both dreadful goals to concede. Frankie Kent should have dealt with the first better and for the second Vassell was allowed a simple finish in the six-yard box after a throw-in.

Critchley then sent on Jorge Grant and Daniel Oyegoke and later brought on Barrie McKay and James Wilson but the changes did little to solve the disjointed nature of Hearts’ play. It was the first defeat and first poor performance under the new head coach. Not enough chances were created, not enough of those created were taken and too often the defending was sloppy.

Spittal shines. Again.

Blair Spittal is currently Hearts' most important player and it is quite understandable that Neil Critchley has opted against rotating him from his starting XI. No matter if he is playing from the left or in a more central, and comfortable, No.10 he constantly impacts the game. Even when he's not in possession.

While not being written off following a slow start to his Hearts career, there were certainly a few doubts. It didn't help that he was being played deeper but there seemed to be an issue with taking possession deep, facing his own goal and also mobility. The latter concern was nothing more than a mirage because he gets about the pitch really well with so much energy. He closes players down effectively and often appears the one to decide when Hearts press and sit off. When Hearts have the ball he never stops moving, never stops offering himself. Even if he isn't having a productive game with the ball, his movement and willingness to make himself an option impacts the game because it moves the opposition around and creates space.

When he has the ball. Things happen. He nearly opened the scoring with a fine low effort he ran onto at the edge of the box. He set up the Alan Forrest goal with a deft we lay off. In the second half he played a no-look pass around a Killie play to send James Penrice scampering through on the overlap.

He has been a joy to watch in recent weeks.

Shankland's struggles

A pass was clipped from the left over the Killie defence. Lawrence Shankland had peeled off Robbie Deas. He set himself to collect with the view of firing a shot at the Killie goal. He didn't get the contact he required and the ball bounced away allowing the visiting defence to get back into position. It summed up a night of frustration from the Hearts captain.

It's nearly November and he has one goal to his name. This time last season he had seven before he went on a tear. The year before he was on 11 by this time of the year. However, it is more than just goals. His play in general has been disjointed. Not as slick as fans have come to expect, dropping in linking play, being the man you can trust with the ball. It has always been felt that he would make the right decision. At the moment he seems to be taking a second or touch too long.

Now, it should be noted, he is still contributing. There have been assists v Dinamo Minsk, St Mirren and Aberdeen. He was heavily involved in the opener with his quick throw. And tonight was difficult up against a physical Killie defence. On top of that, he's playing all the time. Perhaps the biggest recruitment failing was not bringing in another forward. There is still so much of a reliance on him and it becomes more pronounced when he isn't producing.

It's contributed to the team's attacking talisman going through his most difficult period at Hearts.

Dealing with physicality

Hearts, over the piece, didn't meet, match or stand up to the physicality of their opponents. Killie have some real good players. They also have those collective qualities that are so vital in Scottish football. Once again, you look at Kyle Vassell. And you go back to that recruitment point about bringing in another forward. Perhaps someone exactly like him. His qualities exposed a rare soft centre for Hearts. He made it very difficult for Frankie Kent for the equaliser and then spun Kyle Rowles and scored the winner. When Hearts pressed for something from the game, Killie's defence, battled and cleared, blocked and headed.