No Panic From Mcinnes But Is Hearts' Form A Worry?

Hearts person taken nan Scottish Premiership by large wind this season, winning 9 of their opening 12 convention matches and remaining unbeaten until Sunday's 1-0 reverse astatine Aberdeen.

They are still 4 points up of nearest rivals Celtic, having played a crippled more, but person dropped points successful 3 of their past 4 matches.

To adhd to nan gathering consciousness of foreboding, they are nervously waiting for nan results of a scan connected Lawrence Shankland's calf aft their starring scorer missed nan conclusion astatine Pittodrie.

Parallels person been drawn betwixt Hearts' awesome commencement and nan measurement Aberdeen began past play - winning 10 of their first 11 and keeping gait pinch Celtic earlier past going 14 consecutive matches without a win.

Jimmy Thelin's broadside yet vanished 5th successful nan Premiership, but did hit Celtic astatine Hampden to declare nan Scottish Cup.

Head coach Derek McInnes refused to panic aft Hearts' nonaccomplishment connected Sunday, but does their caller stumble supply immoderate origin for concern?

On nan grounds connected Sunday's performance, not really.

Hearts had nan amended of a crippled played successful horrible weather, squandering respective chances some earlier and aft half-time.

Frankie Kent headed consecutive astatine nan keeper from a fewer yards out, Harry Milne deed nan crossbar from adjacent range, Tomas Magnusson placed a header consecutive astatine Dimitar Mitov, and Claudio Braga was denied erstwhile he looked definite to score.

"Hearts only person themselves to blasted for not coming distant pinch 3 points," erstwhile Scotland midfielder Michael Stewart said. "They had capable opportunities."

When Aberdeen sewage their 1 existent show of goal, they made it count. Kent grounded to clear and Topi Keskinen took afloat advantage, uncovering nan bottommost corner.

"I thought we were nan amended team, created nan amended chances," McInnes said. "But we don't show nan poise aliases value for nan last bit. We looked rushed astatine times.

"If we'd scored, it makes it a wholly different situation for Aberdeen.

"We thought we'd done capable coming not to lose. I was really rather encouraged by nan capacity coming without Lawrence and Craig Halkett.

"When you suffer a crippled of football, you request to respond and I've nary doubts we will respond."

Hearts person been outperforming their expected goals this season, scoring 29 times compared to an xG tally of 22.46, truthful nan much morganatic interest could beryllium that their precocious return doesn't last, particularly if Shankland is retired for a sustained period.

Pierre Landry Kabore collaborated Braga connected Sunday and had his moments successful only his 5th quality for nan club, but blazed his champion show of extremity precocious and wide.

Despite nan loss, erstwhile Scotland striker Kris Boyd saw nary logic for alarm.

"One triumph successful four, it's a flimsy concern," he said connected Sky Sports. "I don't deliberation Hearts had a bad subordinate connected nan pitch. I thought they defended reasonably well, they conscionable lacked that cutting edge. It conscionable wasn't to beryllium successful beforehand of goal."

McInnes' broadside now spell to Motherwell connected Saturday, earlier a testing tally of December matches against Kilmarnock, Celtic, Falkirk, Rangers and metropolis rivals Hibernian.

"I don't deliberation it's a daunting tally astatine all," McInnes said. "We've sewage breathtaking games and games we tin spell and win.

"We'll beryllium bouncing into our activity and getting fresh to spell again.

"We cognize who we play for, we're enjoying being apical of nan league. We're enjoying winning games much than we're not and it's important we get backmost to that feeling."

Stand-in skipper Cammy Devlin echoed nan thoughts of his manager.

"The champion point is we only person to hold six days for our adjacent game," he said. "It is astir not emotion sorry for ourselves - we were going to suffer a game.

"Just get backmost to training, activity arsenic difficult arsenic we tin and move today's emotion into smiles and getting that winning emotion backmost again."

Paul: Hearts' bubble has good and genuinely burst.

Alasdair: That Callum McGregor extremity for Celtic past nighttime felt for illustration a imaginable pivotal infinitesimal for nan season. This consequence coming seems to corroborate it.

Colin: Celtic backmost connected apical for Christmas.

Jimmy: Hearts will beryllium 3rd by Christmas and won't decorativeness higher than fourth.

Peter: Hearts are conscionable arsenic susceptible arsenic immoderate different team. This consequence will person a monolithic effect connected them. There will beryllium a full different move successful their squad autobus going location pinch nary points. They person besides been connected nan correct broadside of immoderate very arguable VAR decisions.

Alan: A conclusion was going to travel astatine immoderate stage. Disappointed but it's each astir really we respond now. Bounce backmost stronger and triumph nan adjacent one.

Ruddiger: The only bubble burst is nan 1 different people blew up successful our name. 30 points from 39 is not thing to beryllium upset about.

Steven: Does/did anyone earnestly judge Hearts were/are title contenders? As Rangers managers from Michael Beale to Philippe Clement person recovered out, talking a awesome crippled ever ends pinch nan aforesaid result - Celtic winning nan league. It's not easy. I will clasp my hands up if I'm incorrect but McInnes doesn't triumph trophies and Bloom - nary uncertainty talented - has conscionable put a batch of unnecessary unit connected him.