Hearts booked a Scottish Gas Scottish Cup quarter-final clash with Morton after a first-half blitz powered them to a 4-1 victory at Airdrie.
Lawrence Shankland was yet again the key man for Steven Naismith’s side, with the captain bagging a brace to take his tally for the season to 24.
Shankland fired the Jambos in front and despite a positive response from the home side, the game was soon almost out of reach.
Kenneth Vargas and Calem Nieuwenhof both found the net to have the visitors on easy street with just 21 minutes on the clock.
There was a glimmer of hope for the Diamonds following Adam Frizzell’s glancing header after 34 minutes, but Shankland would add a decisive fourth with 17 minutes remaining to cap off an emphatic victory.
Craig Gordon returned between the sticks for the visitors, with Naismith making three changes from the side that defeated St Johnstone in midweek.
Jorge Grant and Craig Halkett were also handed starting roles, replacing Frankie Kent and Scott Fraser.
Arron Lyall made his first start for Airdrie since joining the club on loan from Rangers, the 20-year-old coming in for Liam McStravick.
The game began at a frantic pace and the home side forced three corners in the opening 10 minutes.
Hearts struck first in the 11th minute following a sweeping passing move that ended with Shankland powering home Alex Cochrane’s cutback.
Despite suffering an early setback, Airdrie responded well and looked to take the game to their cinch Premiership opponents.
Lyall’s cross almost caught out Gordon, but drifted just wide of the target, before Nikolay Todorov forced a wonderful close-range stop from the Hearts goalkeeper.
The Jambos survived a huge scare when Mason Hancock’s header from Charlie Telfer’s corner cannoned back off the crossbar.
Airdrie would be punished for not taking the chances that came their way when Kenneth Vargas doubled the visitors’ lead. The Costa Rican striker raced on to Halkett’s perfect through pass before prodding the ball past Josh Rae.
Suddenly, the Diamonds were facing a rout and they would concede again three minutes later after Nieuwenhof angled a low drive into the bottom corner.
Hearts were now cruising, though they would be dealt a blow when Halkett limped off to be replaced by Kye Rowles.
Alan Forrest worked Rae with a fizzing volley before the hosts gave themselves a glimmer of hope by reducing the deficit.
Hancock picked out Frizzell with a pin-point cross and the Airdrie skipper glanced beyond Gordon.
Rae denied Forrest and Dexter Lembikisa’s long-range strike either side of half-time as Hearts looked to put the game beyond doubt, but the hosts continued to demonstrate a threat of their own.
Lewis McGregor’s cross almost dropped under the crossbar with Gordon scrambling, and the introduction of Calum Gallagher for the final 23 minutes added an extra dimension to the Airdrie attack.
Any hopes of a shock comeback were extinguished after 73 minutes when Shankland was released by Fraser and the striker produced a typically composed finish to dink over the keeper.
Let's start our Daily Laugh today. PORTUGAL WIN THE UEFA NATIONS LEAGUE ON PENALTIES Nuno Mendes 😎 Anti Right Winger Morata : Me again? Congratulations Portugal & Ronaldo Kepa in Arsenal be like I am sorry. Please stay tuned on Daily Laugh. There will be more fun tomorrow!(Credit: BleacherReportFootball, Justtoonit, originaltrollfootball)...
PSG get talks underway with Bournemouth for ZabarnyiFabrizio Romano reports that PSG are determined to sign Ilya Zabarnyi this summer. While talks are underway with Bournemouth, the two clubs have not yet reached an agreement. The player remains keen to join Les Parisiens.Everton join Newcastle in race to sign GrealishEverton are interesting in acquiring the services of Manchester City outcast Jac...
WHAT HAPPENED?Napoli striker Osimhen has reportedly made up his mind on his future, and it seems like it won't include a sensational move to the Middle East. This comes from a scoop from journalist Buchi Laba, who reports that Osimhen has rejected a fifth offer from Saudi side Al-Hilal and would rather continue his career in Europe.THE BIGGER PICTURELaba claims that Osimhen is not interested in a ...
France captain Kylian Mbappe says he is satisfied with his side bouncing back from their Nations League loss to Spain in the third-placed play-off.Les Bleus finished the campaign with a win over Germany, thanks to goals from the Real Madrid star and Michael Olise.And while there was a lot to like about the French performance in Stuttgart, Mbappe took a balanced approach to things in his post-match...
WHAT HAPPENED?The German club have asked to be kept up to date on Sancho's situation, with the Man Utd outcast being touted as a possible replacement for Chelsea target Jamie Gittens, as per Sky Sports. Sancho has already re-joined the club from Manchester United once - a six-month loan spell at the end of last season - and could yet return for a third spell with the German giants. Chelsea paid a ...
Jobe Bellingham of Sunderland celebrates getting promoted back to the Premier LeagueEngland U21 midfielder Jobe Bellingham has agreed terms to leave Sunderland for Borussia Dortmund in a deal reported at around 331 million including add-ons.The Bedlington-born starlet joins the German club on a five-year contract following Sunderland's promotion to the Premier League.Dortmund has reportedly agreed...
Brian Priske has chosen to return to Sparta PragueBrian Priske has returned to Sparta Prague to take up the position as head coach, say the Czech club on their website."We are pleased to announce the appointment of our new head coach. We welcome Brian, who knows the environment in the club. We strongly believe that he will build on the successful work he has delivered in the past and help Sparta w...
Borussia Dortmund keen on signing Jadon SanchoBorussia Dortmund are weighing up a fresh move for Jadon Sancho amid uncertainty over his future at Manchester United.The Bundesliga side have requested to be kept informed about the Englishman’s status at Old Trafford, with the out-of-favour winger seen as a potential replacement for Chelsea-linked Jamie Gittens, according to Sky Sports.Sancho i...
Gravenberch names his 2025 Ballon d'Or favouriteRyan Gravenberch shared his 2025 Ballon d'Or choice, backing his Liverpool teammate Mohamed Salah to win the prestigious award.The Egypt international was the frontrunner for the 2025 Ballon d'Or during the first half of the season, topping both the goals and assists charts in the Premier League.0"That's a tough one, but I'll go for my teammate: Moha...
Uriah RennieUriah Rennie, the first black man to referee in the Premier League, has died at the age of 65.WHAT HAPPENED?In August 1997, Rennie was named as the referee for a Premier League game between Derby County and AFC Wimbledon and made history as the division's first ever black referee. He went on to officiate over 300 top-flight games across 11 years, as well as refereeing domestic cup fina...
- 1 Transfer news & rumours LIVE
- 2 Marcus Rashford 'grows close' to stunning semi-pro padel player
- 3 Why Premier League transfer may be off the cards for Victor Osimhen as Man Utd make 'timid' attempts to convince striker
- 4 Chukwueze reveals cause of AC Milan’s ‘disastrous’ season
- 5 Transfer news & rumours LIVE
- 6 FIFA confirms 34 team base camp training sites in the United States for 2025 Club World Cup, including nine in Florida and five in Calitornia
- 7 Man Utd continue to be linked with Emi Martinez
- 8 Daily Laugh - Morata : Me again?
- 9 Daily Laugh - Mbeumo and his amazing talent
- 10 Liverpool's dream transfer window with six signings including £100m striker