Hearts’ recent resurgence continued as they hit Dundee for six at Dens Park to extend their unbeaten run to seven games.
Goals from skipper Lawrence Shankland, Blair Spittal, Musa Drammeh, Kenneth Vargas and an Elton Kabangu double demolished a dismal Dark Blues side.
The victory was the Jam Tarts’ third in a row and lifted Neil Critchley’s side up to seventh in the Premiership table.
Dundee made two changes to the team that won the Scottish Cup derby against Dundee United two weeks ago, with Imari Samuels and Josh Mulligan coming in for Finlay Robertson and Ethan Ingram.
Hearts made three alterations to the side that beat Kilmarnock in the league last Saturday, with skipper Shankland – making his first start since Boxing Day – Lewis Neilson and Drammeh replacing James Wilson, Craig Halkett and Jorge Grant, with the latter two out injured.
Home skipper Trevor Carson was called into action in just the fourth minute, making a reaction save high to his right to keep out a Shankland header from a James Penrice cross.
However, the home side were then left shell-shocked as Hearts scored two quickfire goals.
The first came in the 15th minute when Spittal played a pass to Shankland, who took a touch before finishing clinically, firing a shot low past Carson.
Spittal got in on the act himself two minutes later, controlling a deflected cross on his chest before volleying high into the back of the net.
Hearts’ Elton Kabangu celebrates after scoring to make it 5-0
Dundee were rocking and struggled to find a way back into the game against a Hearts side with their tails up.
Instead, it was the visitors who were next to threaten when the Dark Blues lost possession in midfield. Spittal worked the ball left to Kabangu but his fierce strike was blocked by Carson.
Dundee finally carved out a clear-cut opportunity in the 45th minute when Mulligan embarked on a powerful run down the right before hitting a pinpoint cross into the Hearts box but Simon Murray’s header was comfortably gathered by
Craig Gordon.
Any hopes of a Dundee comeback were quickly extinguished in the 51st minute. Shankland played a superb through ball into the feet of the onrushing Kabangu who outpaced Clark Robertson before finishing clinically past Carson.
The keeper then committed an absolute howler to gift Hearts their fourth in the 67th minute, dropping the ball with Drammeh on hand to fire into the net.
Hearts added their fifth 10 minutes later and it was another cracker. A corner fell perfectly for Kabangu and he hit a superb left-foot finish past Carson.
Then, deep into stoppage time, substitute Vargas made it six with another smart finish past the exposed Carson.
The managers…
Hearts head coach Neil Critchley:
“It’s been a really good day for the players and for the supporters who are here. Whether you win 1-0, 6-0, it’s still three points.
“We’ve got to make sure there’s no complacency. The reason we’re winning games is because of how we prepare, how we train, the attitude of the players and that’s what gives you success. We’ve got to make sure we don’t step away from
that.
“Honestly, I don’t look at the table, I really don’t. People tell me the scores. I just concentrate on trying to win games of football and the league will take care of itself.
“At some point near the end of the season or closer to the split I’ll probably look at it and need to know what we need to do because of the mathematical permutations.”
Dundee boss Tony Docherty:
“I never saw that coming. All the criticism that will come is justified, it was a really bad day. I apologise to Dundee fans for that level of performance.
“It’s not often I can level that and everyone has to take responsibility. As manager, I have to take responsibility as well.
“That level of performance was unacceptable today. Goals drain confidence and losing the goals we did affected the confidence of the team.
“The goals we lost were so poor, especially the first two. It’s important we’re in tomorrow to analyse the performance of the team because so much of it was self-inflicted. Hearts caught us on a really bad day.”
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