Back to today’s briefing

Story perspectives

Hearts Edge Hibs 2-1, Extend Title Lead

4/27/2026

26 3 Full Breakdown

Summary

Hearts Beat Hibs

Hearts defeated Hibernian 2-1 at Easter Road.
Hearts’ goals came from Lawrence Shankland and Blair Spittal, who scored the winner in the 86th minute.
Hibernian goalkeeper Raphael Sallinger was sent off for denying a clear scoring opportunity, leaving Hibs with nine players.
Hearts widened their lead to four points over Rangers and three points over Celtic with four games left, and will host Rangers on bank-holiday Monday.

Summary

McInnes Urges Focus

Aberdeen manager Derek McInnes called the win a bit unusual and urged focus on Hearts’ fixtures.
He added the early boost could aid the split but the next match will be tough.
Hibernian boss David Gray said the red cards were justified and blamed his players’ errors for the own-goal.
Kris Boyd praised McInnes’s mindset, cited Tony Bloom’s analytics, and said the squad looks united.

History

Historical Context

In 1997-98 Celtic clinched the Scottish Premier Division by two points, denying Rangers a record tenth consecutive title and keeping Hearts in the title chase. The league’s split from the Scottish Football League that September created the SPL, a structure that still frames today’s tight 2024-25 race where Hearts’ recent win over Hibernian narrows the gap to the Old Firm.

1 of 3

Hearts Beat Hibs

Hearts defeated Hibernian 2-1 at Easter Road.
Hearts’ goals came from Lawrence Shankland and Blair Spittal, who scored the winner in the 86th minute.
Hibernian goalkeeper Raphael Sallinger was sent off for denying a clear scoring opportunity, leaving Hibs with nine players.
Hearts widened their lead to four points over Rangers and three points over Celtic with four games left, and will host Rangers on bank-holiday Monday.

1 / 3