I watched Hearts ambush Hibs again and noted Celtic trait, unsung Derek McInnes effect and David Gray issue

This time, Tomas Magnusson was the hero for the Jam Tarts, striking in the 88th minute to send the Gorgie fans wild and keep them in control of a gripping title race.

It was another desperate derby defeat for Hibs, however, who remain fifth in the standings and a world away from their Edinburgh rivals.

Mark Atkinson picks out some key talking points from the match:

The sign of champions

It is a cliche in football parlance, but also very accurate: scoring late goals is a sign of champions.

This wasn’t the first time this season that Hearts found the net in the dying stages of the match to prevail. In fact, it’s the second time in the space of five months that Hearts have mugged Hibs as the final whistle approached.

Tomas Magnusson’s goal came three minutes earlier than Craig Halkett’s on October 4 but his 88th-minute strike had the same impact. It ensured a 1-0 win and a jubilant, buoyant, now dreamy Tynecastle.

Hearts woke up on Wednesday morning six points clear at the top of the Premiership. Rangers and Celtic play against Motherwell and Livingston respectively. It is up to them to stay on the Jam Tarts’ tail by responding to the challenge. Rangers’ trip to Fir Park certainly looks tough on paper.

Whatever happens on Wednesday and also on Sunday, when Hearts visit at Ibrox and Celtic go to Kilmarnock, the worst position Derek McInnes’ men can be in at the end of the week is joint top. What an incredible chance awaits them.

Hearts have shown all season long that they have the credentials of champions. They are well-organised, the have goals throughout the team, they work hard, go right to the end and have squad depth. This win over Hibs felt big, another valediction of why they have led the Scottish Premiership for so long.

Watching Hearts offered a reminder of what Celtic, and to a lesser extent Rangers, have done in recent years. They found a way to win even when they weren’t at their very best. The end result is often the league trophy in their hands come May.

Maestro McInnes

So many Hearts players have been showered with praise this season, from back to front. Harry Milne, Stuart Findlay, Craig Halkett, Beni Baningime, Cammy Devlin, Alexandros Kyziridis, Claudio Braga, Lawrence Shankland. The list goes on. But as many compliments must go to McInnes.

What the Hearts head coach does is try to affect the game. He is constantly tinkering and tweaking, using all of the options available to him in an attempt to win the match. He has a Plan A, B, C, D and E.

Some will argue that McInnes has so many options at his disposal due to the influx of Jamestown Analytics recruits at Tynecastle. That much is true, but the best workmen choose the right tools to get the job done. The 54-year-old did so again here.

Hearts weren’t brilliant against Hibs. It was an even match played within a fervent atmosphere and on a pitch made slick by continual rain. McInnes set his team up in a 4-4-2 - his preferred formation - with Kazakh winger Islam Chesnokov given his first start on the right.

When it became apparent that Hearts weren’t going to find the ascendancy in that system, McInnes switched to a back three during the second period. It made them more comfortable in and out of possession. As the game entered the closing stages - the red zone - the manager gambled and put on two offensive-minded midfielders in Ageu and Magnusson. It was the Icelander’s perfectly-timed run into the penalty box that earned the winner.

McInnes’ tactical changes won’t always work. But this season, more often than not he’s picked the right player off the bench, made the smart call at an opportune moment. That’s what experience - and knowledge of Scottish football - brings you. The onlooking majority shareholder Tony Bloom in the Tynecastle stands surely must be impressed.

Hibs get floored by the same punch

One step forward, two steps back to Hibs. An all-too-familiar failing haunted them once again in a big match.

While Hearts have made a habit of late winners against Hibs under McInnes, conceding goals late in matches has been an unfortunate hallmark of Hibs under head coach David Gray. The body of evidence stretches right back to the start of his tenure in mid-2025 and while they overcame it last season to finish third in the Premiership, the affliction has come back with a vengeance.

Twice this year alone, they have coughed up a late concession that has far-reaching consequences. Against Dunfermline Athletic in the Scottish Cup, the Pars scored right at the death to knock them out. For the second time this season against Hibs, they folded in the dying stages at Tynecastle. More fortitude would have seen them qualify for the Conference League when playing against Legia Warsaw. And there are further examples ...

Do Hibs have a mentality issue? Does this team lose its concentration at the end of matches, become jittery as the finishing line gets closer? No matter what Gray or his players say, the body of evidence stacks up against them.

Gray is a young, promising coach who has already achieved some success. At 37, and only 19 months into his first full-time job, he has so much scope for development. The big question now is whether he can find away to toughen up his players when they are put under pressure so late.

Doing so is vital. Hibs fans are becoming increasingly frustrated by watching the same movie - especially with Hearts doing so well. It only exacerbates the situation for them. They had periods of ascendancy at Tynecastle, yet left empty-handed.

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