Hearts refuse to bottle it

Dunfermline 1, Hearts 3

Hearts answered their doubters with a first-half blitz to demolish Dunfermline and move back up to second place.

They took the lead in the seventh minute after superb work by Jose Quitongo.

The tricky winger turned Gregg Shields twice, and delivered a perfect cross for Jim Hamilton to head home.

But the Pars pulled level in the 16th minute when Paul Ritchie was judged to have brought down Andy Smith in the area. It looked a soft award, but David Bingham sent Giles Rousset the wrong way.

The decision incensed the travelling supporters and a bottle was thrown in the direction of referee Hugh Dallas.

Hearts regained the lead in the 28th minute as Hamilton's header was cleared off the line, but as Ian Westwater attempted to clear the ball over his crossbar, he only succeeded in palming it into his net.

And the visitors made it three four minutes later when Stefano Salvatori scored his first for the club since arriving over a year ago.

The Pars misery was compounded in the 52nd minute when top scorer Andy Smith - just back from a two-game suspension - was sent off for two wild challenges on Ritchie.

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