Hearts’ miserable start to the season continued as they crashed to a 3-1 William Hill Premiership defeat by Motherwell at rain-lashed Fir Park on Sunday.
The Steelmen went ahead through Paul McGinn midway through the first half and Stephen O’Donnell doubled their lead on the hour before substitute Yutaro Oda pulled one back for the visitors.
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But Well sub Tom Sparrow ran clear to seal a first league victory for his side and consign Hearts to a fifth game without a win and a fourth consecutive defeat in all competitions.
Motherwell made one change to the side that defeated Kilmarnock in the Premier Sports Cup a week earlier as Tawanda Maswanhise came in for his first start, with Steve Seddon dropping to the bench.
There were four changes to the Hearts side that started Thursday’s 1-0 Europa League play-off first-leg defeat away to Viktoria Plzen as James Penrice, Cammy Devlin, Jorge Grant and Kenneth Vargas made way for Yan Dhanda, Blair Spittal, Alan Forrest and Colombian debutant Andres Salazar.
The visitors made an encouraging start by controlling possession in the early minutes but they were soon knocked out of their stride by the hosts.
Maswanhise played a key role in getting Motherwell on the front foot, with the Zimbabwe winger having a couple of early attempts blocked by Hearts defenders Frankie Kent and Stephen Kingsley.
As the hosts built up a head of steam, they thought they had gone ahead when former Hearts midfielder Andy Halliday headed goalward from inside the six-yard box but goalkeeper Craig Gordon spread himself brilliantly and somehow turned the ball over the bar with his head.
The breakthrough came in the 25th minute for the Steelmen when Lennon Miller floated a lovely free-kick just beyond the penalty spot and McGinn headed down beyond Gordon.
Maswanhise went close to adding a second five minutes later when he cut inside Gerald Taylor and rasped an angled shot towards goal but Gordon pushed it over.
Hearts almost levelled in the 35th minute when former Well midfielder Spittal burst on to a loose ball in the box and saw a low angled shot blocked on the line by Ewan Wilson, meaning the hosts were able to go in at the break with a deserved lead.
Well made a change six minutes into the second half when Tony Watt was introduced for Halliday and within seconds of entering the fray, the striker forced a save out of Gordon with a ferocious angled shot from just inside the box.
Hearts boss Naismith responded with a triple substitution as Taylor, Dhanda and Forrest were replaced with Vargas, Devlin and Oda.
The changes made no immediate impact and Motherwell doubled their lead on the hour when Miller’s inswinging free-kick from the left was headed home by O’Donnell from six yards out.
Hearts – in a state of desperation – temporarily came to life and pulled one back in the 65th minute when Oda who slotted home from eight yards out at the end of a well-worked move involving Spittal and Lawrence Shankland.
Their supporters sensed an opportunity to get something from the game but Well regained full command in the 81st minute when Salazar’s pass ran loose on the edge of the Hearts box and substitute Sparrow burst through to fire past the exposed Gordon.
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