Hearts slumped to a shock 2-0 Premier Sports Cup defeat at Championship Falkirk as second-half goals from Ethan Ross and Dylan Tait sent their side into the quarter-finals.
Steven Naismith’s side dominated much of the first half but were wasteful with their chances, Kenneth Vargas striking the crossbar from close range with one of the most glaring misses.
That profligacy came back to haunt the visitors in the second period as Falkirk took control and made their opportunities count.
The result was already assured by the time home substitute Ryan Shanley was shown a straight red card in the final minute.
The defeat extends Hearts’ winless start to the season ahead of the first leg of their Europa League play-off against Viktoria Plzen in the Czech Republic on Thursday night.
Falkirk made just one change from the team that beat Dunfermline the previous weekend, Ross in for the suspended Callumn Morrison.
Hearts made eight changes following their 3-1 loss to Dundee. There were starts for Craig Gordon, Craig Halkett, Stephen Kingsley, Malachi Boateng, Blair Spittal, Yan Dhanda, Yutaro Oda and Liam Boyce.
Zander Clark, Daniel Oyegoke, Kye Rowles, Cammy Devlin, Jorge Grant, Barrie McKay, Lawrence Shankland and Frankie Kent made way.
The visitors started strongly and could have been in front within 30 seconds.
Oda crossed from the right for Boyce, who could not keep his left-foot effort under the crossbar.
Vargas then passed up two great chances in the space of two minutes, the Costa Rican smashing an acrobatic effort against the crossbar and then seeing a low, driven effort well saved by Nicky Hogarth.
Falkirk responded with a goal-bound effort from Gary Oliver that Gordon was able to repel before Oda ought to have finally put Hearts ahead, only to shoot straight at Hogarth, who also kept out a Spittal volley moments later.
The home side then looked certain to score shortly before the interval when Ross MacIver bore down on goal, but Gordon made a terrific save to touch the shot around a post.
It was a tetchy affair at times, with referee David Dickinson booking six players in the first half alone.
But it was Falkirk who forged in front with the first chance of the second half.
Keelan Adams crossed from the right and Ross fizzed a shot beyond Gordon from around 10 yards.
John McGlynn’s side continued to look the more dangerous and only another excellent stop from Gordon denied MacIver for the second time in the match.
The Bairns, however, got their second goal eight minutes from time when Tait threaded a shot beyond the goalkeeper to confirm their place in the last eight before Shanley was sent off for a high boot on Kingsley.
Let's start our Daily Laugh today. Mbappe VS Liverpool Path confirmed… Kylian Mbappe after Virgil van Dijk took him down. 0.6% chance. 99.4% faith. lol I can't unsee this … League titles won "since 2009" Please stay tuned on Daily Laugh. There will be more fun tomorrow!(Credit: Justtoonit, FootballLaughss, PL__OOC)...
The Egyptian is locked in contract negotiations with the club, who do not want to commit to a multi-year, high wage deal.Salah is in the form of his life, but is 32, which is giving the Reds pause for giving him a two or three-year extension.Per Sky Sports, clubs in the Saudi Pro League are not actively pursuing Salah at present.While he is a target and one they would love to sign, they are not go...
The Blues have made an effort to sign the best and youngest talent from around the world since the takeover by Clearlake.Chelsea are in talks to sign the son of Emmanuel EboueChelsea will have to pay compensation for Mathis EboueThe club are now in talks to sign Mathis Eboue from the Watford academy.The 15-year-old is, of course, the son of Arsenal cult hero Emmanuel Eboue.The Daily Mail have clai...
Inter Miami forward Luis Suarez signed a one-year contract extension, meaning he will continue to play in Major League Soccer next season.Suarez, who joined the Herons on a one-year contract in December, tied for second place in the MLS Golden Boot race and earned a nomination to the 2024 MLS newcomer of the year award."I'm very happy, very excited to continue for another year and to be able to en...
United target Napoli's KvaratskheliaManchester United are reportedly showing strong interest in Napoli forward Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, according to SportMediaset. The 23-year-old Georgian star, under contract with Napoli until 2027, has yet to reach an agreement on an extension with the Serie A leaders. The Red Devils are prepared to table a lucrative five-year deal worth at least €8 million ...
Let's start our Daily Laugh today. Big GabrielSporting 1-5 Arsenal Who will win this month's Manager of the Month award? What happens when you come up against Saliba and Gabriel... Wayne Rooney, a true legend on and off the pitch. Cristiano Ronaldo in the iconic white and gold jersey brings back so many unforgettable memories! Throwback to THIS Beautiful Moment when Lionel Messi scored his 50th ca...
Bellingham admits 'vibrations' were key to Liverpool snubJude Bellingham has revealed how close he came to joining Liverpool, and the "vibrations" he felt when Real Madrid came calling."It wasn't as close as it was said," Bellingham said ahead of Real's Champions League clash with Liverpool. "There were conversations. There was Dortmund and I did it with several clubs. When Real Madrid call you, t...
Manchester City's Champions League match on Tuesday night was marred by crowd trouble, with Feyenoord fans causing chaos at the Etihad Stadium. The Dutch supporters, escorted by police from the city centre to the stadium, filled all three tiers of the South Stand.After City scored three goals, Feyenoord managed to net one with about 15 minutes left, leading to riot police stepping in to prevent cl...
Liverpool boss Arne Slot insists Mohamed Salah isn't unsettled over his contract situation.After scoring twice in victory at Southampton on Sunday, Salah revealed he had not heard from management about a new deal. His current contract expires in June."The only thing I can say is, if I look at my line-ups, Mo is more in than out," said Slot."I don't think he's distracted at all. I haven't seen that...
Bayern Munich coach Vincent Kompany said he doesn't fully understand how the new Champions League format worked after his team earned a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday to improve their chances of reaching the knockout stage.Bayern needed a first-half goal from defender Kim Min-Jae to battle past 10-man PSG and claim a third win in five matches."I don't look at the table...
- 1 Chelsea make Nkunku sale call amid ManUtd interest
- 2 Transfer news & rumours LIVE
- 3 Mascherano nears Miami; Martino exits
- 4 Chloe Kelly sends fans wild in daring outfit at GQ Men of the Year
- 5 Former Premier League star saved his wife and baby from house fire
- 6 Thierry Henry poses with rarely-seen partner Andrea on red carpet
- 7 Amorim targets Sporting Lisbon's Quenda
- 8 Ruben Amorim ‘could move to Ten Hag or Pogba’s old homes’
- 9 Transfer news & rumours LIVE
- 10 The secret and very normal jobs of England’s WAGs