Jim Goodwin admitted Dundee United's 4-0 defeat at Tynecastle was embarrassing but insisted the scoreline was harsh on his team. United lost two goals in 10 minutes and never recovered.
Goodwin's Verdict on the Match
Goodwin branded his team's defending naive for three of the four goals. He said: "Obviously, it wasn't the outcome we were looking for prior to the game. The scoreline is an embarrassing one. At the same time, I don't think it was a fair reflection on the overall performance."
"There was very little between the teams in the first 45 minutes. It's a wonder goal from Tom Renaud from 40 yards and that can happen during the season. There is a little bit of naivety in the three goals after it. The second goal is a really poor decision."
Set-Piece Concerns and Second Half Struggles
Goodwin also referenced the VAR meeting and the risk of pulling jerseys at set-plays. "Unfortunately, at 2-0 we had a mountain to climb," he said. United had plenty of the ball but struggled in the final third.
"We tried to make a positive chance at half-time," Goodwin insisted. "If we got it back to 2-1 it was game on. We had a similar amount of efforts but Hearts managed to hit the target on a number of occasions and we haven't worked the Hearts keeper once."
"It became like a game of basketball at times. We had plenty of possession. We looked comfortable at times but we were far too untidy in the final third. Even the first goal comes from us turning over possession. There were a number of times when we got into the final third and we picked the wrong option. It is the bit we need to tidy up and be better with."
Tom Renaud Transfer Miss
Tom Renaud set Hearts on their way with a long-range screamer. It was a player that United were in for first, but lost the battle when Hearts came to the table. Goodwin confirmed: "He's a player we know well. I spoke to him in the summer and we tried to bring him to Dundee United. So, we knew the ability that the player has got from that type of situation."
"I'm glad to believe we were, yes. Obviously, he's a good player and his data would have no doubt flagged up on a number of teams' radars and Hearts beat us to it."
