Postpublished at 18:07 GMT
Rangers 0-0 Aberdeen
Twenty minutes in, it's been all Rangers but no goals so far.
Aberdeen have looked relatively well organised but are not getting much of a foothold in attack so far.
Image source, SNS
Oisin McEntee scored the only goal in Hearts' win against Dundee
At a glance
McEntee's header on 77 minutes ensures Hearts head into international break top of Premiership
Kent sent off late on but leaders see out win amid frantic ending
Dundee's five-game unbeaten run brought to an end
Oisin McEntee's towering header gave leaders Hearts a vital victory over Dundee to ensure they head into the international break top of the Scottish Premiership.
Derek McInnes' side were largely frustrated at Tynecastle as a disciplined Dundee performance made life difficult for the league's pace setters.
However, McEntee came up with the crucial moment 13 minutes from the end when he ran off his marker to head in Marc Leonard's free kick and send the home fans into ecstasy.
It also secured a fourth 1-0 home win in a row for Hearts, despite Frankie Kent's late red card, as the pressure cranks up on the unlikley title challengers with seven games to go as they seek a first league crown since 1960.
Celtic - who play Dundee United on Sunday - now trail by five points while Rangers can reduce their deficit to three if they beat Aberdeen in the Saturday evening kick-off against Aberdeen (17:45 GMT).
The victory was the perfect way to bounce back from last week's defeat at Kilmarnock for Hearts, who had to stay patient and calm as Tynecastle grew more edgy as the game wore on.
The home crowd had witnessed Claudio Braga and Pierre Landry Kabore squander promising openings in the first half and Dundee threatened in fits and starts.
But, as they have done much of the season, Hearts found a way to win as Dundee's five-game unbeaten run was brought to an end.
Hearts have been menacing from set-pieces for most of this season, but McInnes talked during the week about the fact their productivity from those situations has fallen in the last six weeks or so amid a run of three defeats in six games.
It will delight the Hearts boss no end that a superb delivery was attacked with ferocity by McEntee to win a game Hearts looked like drawing for most of it.
Their productivity in the final third has been poorer generally since the start of February, with one of the worst conversion rates in the league, not helped by the injury to captain and striker Lawrence Shankland.
Braga and Kabore both missed presentable first-half chances before Shankland's return as a second-half substitute made a difference to Hearts' ability to sustain pressure in the Dundee half.
His timely comeback could make all the difference in the team matching their final-third efficiency from the first two-thirds of the campaign given his finishing ability, but also ability to drop in and start attacks.
Midfielder Cammy Devlin playing 76 minutes on his own comeback was also a huge boost, albeit the late withdrawal of centre-back Craig Halkett due to a back issue is a concern, as well as a ban for another defender Frankie Kent after he was issued a second yellow card for a trip in stoppage time.
Overall, though, Hearts are in fine shape as, for the third time in a row, they followed up a defeat by bouncing back to win at home the next game.
Dundee played a major part in the nervousness around Tynecastle due to their discipline without the ball, and the ability of their wingers Tony Yogane and Cam Congreve to carry them forward.
Ultimately it will frustrate manager Steven Pressley that they were punished for switching off at a late free kick, as well as the fact they lacked conviction in the final third when they got into good positions out wide.
Nevertheless, Dundee can be positive about finishing the season strongly after their best unbeaten top-flight run for 11 years.
After the international break Hearts are away to bottom side Livingston on Sunday 5 April (14:00 BST), while Dundee host champions Celtic the same day (16:30).
After the opportunity to rate players has closed, the score displayed represents the average from all the submissions by BBC Sport users.
| Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals For | Goals Against | Goal Difference | Points | Form, Last 6 games, Oldest first |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 | 20 | 6 | 5 | 53 | 25 | 28 | 66 |
| |
| 31 | 16 | 13 | 2 | 52 | 25 | 27 | 61 |
| |
| 30 | 19 | 4 | 7 | 56 | 32 | 24 | 61 |
| |
| 31 | 14 | 12 | 5 | 49 | 23 | 26 | 54 |
| |
| 31 | 12 | 12 | 7 | 48 | 35 | 13 | 48 |
| |
| 31 | 12 | 7 | 12 | 39 | 40 | -1 | 43 |
| |
| 30 | 7 | 13 | 10 | 38 | 48 | -10 | 34 |
| |
| 31 | 8 | 8 | 15 | 31 | 49 | -18 | 32 |
| |
| 31 | 8 | 7 | 16 | 30 | 42 | -12 | 31 |
| |
| 31 | 6 | 9 | 16 | 25 | 47 | -22 | 27 |
| |
| 31 | 6 | 9 | 16 | 35 | 60 | -25 | 27 |
| |
| 31 | 1 | 12 | 18 | 31 | 61 | -30 | 15 |
|
Manager:Derek McInnes
Formation:4 - 4 - 2
Manager:Steven Pressley
Formation:4 - 2 - 3 - 1
Scottish Premiership
All competitions
All competitions
All competitions
Hearts have won seven of their last nine league meetings with Dundee (L2), keeping a clean sheet in the last five of those wins, including both this season (4-0 in November, 1-0 in January).
Dundee have lost four of their last five Scottish Premiership trips to Hearts, winning the other 1-0 in April 2025.
Each of Heart of Midlothian’s last three home league games have ended in 1-0 wins; Hearts last won four in a row on home soil in the Scottish Premiership without conceding in March 2016.
Dundee are unbeaten in five league games (W2 D3), last going longer without defeat in the Scottish Premiership from January to February 2015 (8).
Since the start of February, Hearts have scored five goals from 77 shots in the Scottish Premiership, a conversion rate of 6.5% - the lowest of any side in the competition in this time. Their xG/shot of 0.076 is also the lowest of any side in the top-flight in this period. Meanwhile, Dundee top both of these metrics since February 1st (15.2% conversion, 0.129 xG/shot).