Hearts manager Neil Critchley admitted Saturday’s 2-0 victory over Ross County was important after watching his side make ground on the teams above them in the top six.
The Gorgie side climbed up to sixth in the William Hill Premiership after Elton Kabangu and Jorge Grant scored either side of the break.
And the three points also saw Hearts make ground on Dundee United, Aberdeen and city rivals Hibs in the battle for third place.
Critchley was a pleased man after his team also collected a first clean sheet at home since January 2.
He said: “All results have gone in our favour today, which is positive for us. So it’s been a good day all round.
“The sunshine was out, a fantastic pitch, we scored two goals, kept a clean sheet and the results have gone for us.
“You’d class it as a routine home win, but we’ve had to fight and work really hard for it, as Ross County make you do that.
“It’s not easy when a team basically puts 11 players behind the ball on the halfway line.
“It’s very difficult to play against and you have to be patient and you have to work for your openings, and we did that with a fantastic first goal.
“It was a really good team goal. It’s important to get the first goal.
“And then they had to go for the game, more attacking subs on and open the game up, which you’d expect them to do.
“I thought the subs came on and made a real difference for us as well.
“We’re in a good place, we get a little bit of time to rest.
“Some players will play in midweek, and then we get time to rest and get ready for a really exciting challenge at Celtic in a couple of weeks’ time.”
Elton Kabangu opened the scoring in the 26th minute when he poked home Beni Baningime’s pass before Grant turned home Musa Drammeh’s cross in the 89th minute.
County boss Don Cowie, whose team are now ninth in the table – four points behind Hearts – admits County lacked a cutting edge.
He said: “It was everything that I would expect.
“A team working extremely hard to try and make it as difficult as possible for Hearts.
“We managed to frustrate them for periods of the game.
“But I think, as I always say, we’re an honest group and we just lacked that little bit of quality to create that real momentum and that opportunity to get back in the match.
“We made a lot of substitutions in the last half of the game, really attacking ones to see if we could get that opportunity to get back in it.
“We just came up short, we didn’t manage to show that bit of quality, whether it was from a set-play that we had – because we had quite a few of them – or in the actual game play.”
Let's start our Daily Laugh today. It's the Year of the Bird Shortcut this way bro Conte's demands to stay at Napoli:• Spend at least €200M• Sign 8–9 players• Raise salaries from €80M to €110M• Guarantees on a new training facility Silverware incoming for Real Betis Tag a Manchester United Fan & Say Nothing.. Sad but true.. Please stay t...
The end of an era has arrived. Luka Modric, one of the best footballers in the history of Real Madrid and world football, will say goodbye to the Santiago Bernabeu after the match against Real Sociedad.The Croatian midfielder will not have his contract renewed by the club, bringing to an end an unforgettable career that began in 2012 and will forever be etched in the memory of Madrid fans. The Clu...
Ruben Amorim is not at risk of being sacked by Manchester United despite the Europa League final loss to Tottenham on Wednesday.Amorim's appointment at United has always, and continues, to be seen as a longer-term project and the club's commitment to the Portuguese head coach is not contingent on one game.Sources say he continues to have the full support of the club.Speaking immediately after the ...
Al Hilal are interested in signing Bruno Fernandes, but plans to sign him are not advanced at present.However, that could change because Saudi Pro League side Al Hilal are playing in the Club World Cup next month and can sign players during a special early transfer window between June 1 and June 10.Fernandes is a key player at United. Head coach Ruben Amorim has called his captain one of the best ...
Man City star McAtee in demand as Wolves eye £25m swoopWolves are reportedly eyeing a £25m swoop for Manchester City's James McAtee but face intense competition from Bayer Leverkusen and Borussia Dortmund.Leeds eye Raul to replace Farke!Real Madrid legend Raul has reportedly been approached by Premier League-bound Leeds despite Daniel Farke leading the club to promotion.Trossard to stay ...
Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim and striker Rasmus Højlund: two people with uncertain futures next season. (Photo by Andrew Milligan/PA Images via Getty Images)BILBAO, Spain -- Tottenham Hotspur have won their first trophy since 2008 after beating Manchester United 1-0 in the UEFA Europa League final on a tight and tense night in Bilbao.The game was decided by a scruffy goal from Brenn...
Will Manchester United sign Crystal Palace's Jean-Philippe Mateta this summer? (Photo by Charlotte Wilson/Offside/Offside via Getty Images)Manchester United are in the running to sign Crystal Palace's Jean-Philippe Mateta, while Al Hilal are in talks with Victor Osimhen. Join us for the latest transfer news, rumors and gossip from around the globe.TRENDING RUMORS- Manchester United are in the runn...
The 2025 MLS season is now firmly underway, which means it's time for ESPN's Power Rankings.Who's climbing the table? Who's in free fall? Our writers studied the action from across Matchday 14 to come up with this week's order of all 30 teams in the league. Let's dive in.1. Vancouver WhitecapsPrevious ranking: 1The Caps made the trip to Texas and came back with a point after a 0-0 draw with Austin...
Man United transfer kitty revealed after Europa League heartbreakMan United manager Ruben Amorim will reportedly have a transfer war chest of 3100 million as he seeks to build the squad in his image this summer.Amorim has undoubtedly struggled since taking over from Erik ten Hag last November as Man United are set to complete their worst season in recent memory.A dismal domestic season was capped ...
Tottenham stars 'don't expect' Ange Postecoglou to stay despite Europa League gloryTottenham players are still expecting manager Ange Postecoglou to be sacked despite their 1-0 Europa League final win over Man United on Wednesday.Postecoglou, 59, ended Tottenham's 17-year trophy drought with a memorable win over fellow Premier League strugglers Man United.Despite impressing on the continent, his s...
- 1 We will see – no Unai Emery assurances over future of tearful Emiliano Martinez
- 2 Mikel Arteta ready to give his life to deliver silverware for Arsenal
- 3 Man City withdraw and Liverpool could steal
- 4 Chelsea beat Manchester United in FA Cup final to seal domestic treble
- 5 Mikel Arteta apologises for failing to deliver Arsenal a Premier League title
- 6 Liverpool cleared to complete signing
- 7 Marc Guehi to land transfer to Real or Barca
- 8 Real Madrid agree deal for Dean Huijsen
- 9 Dele Alli’s girlfriend Cindy sets pulses racing in barely
- 10 3 EPL giants have advantage in Osimhen race