Hearts produced a gritty performance to defeat St Mirren 2-0 despite playing for over 75 minutes with ten men after Beni Baningime's early red card. The midfielder was dismissed in the 14th minute for a reckless challenge on Roland Idowu, with referee Kevin Clancy upgrading his initial yellow card to a red after a VAR review. St Mirren had two goals disallowed for offside in the first half, but Hearts rallied to secure a crucial victory.
Lawrence Shankland broke the deadlock on the hour mark, slotting home from close range after fine work by Blair Spittal. Substitute Tomas Magnusson then sealed the win late on, heading in after a goalmouth scramble. The result restored Hearts' six-point lead at the top of the Scottish Premiership, with manager Derek McInnes praising his side's resilience.
Despite being reduced to ten men, Hearts defended resolutely, with Craig Halkett and Stuart Findlay outstanding at the back. The visitors also created chances, with Shamal George making several saves to keep St Mirren at bay. However, Hearts' determination and organisation proved decisive, extending McInnes' unbeaten home record against St Mirren to 17 matches.
The victory was marred by a late injury to Cammy Devlin, who hobbled off in stoppage time. Nevertheless, Hearts will take great confidence from this performance as they continue their title challenge.
