This was the kind of Edinburgh derby that cuts straight through any pre-match optimism. Hibernian had moments, Hibernian had a spell where they should have equalised, and Hibernian even got back to 2-1. But in the end, Hearts had the cleaner cutting edge, the better early control and the player who made the difference when the game cracked open.
Josh McPake was the name that mattered most by the finish, and not just because he scored Hearts' third goal after beating three men with the sort of swagger that ends arguments. With Scotland boss Sebastien Pocognoli watching on, the live text had already identified him as the star of the match. That was not hype. It was the obvious conclusion to a derby that turned on moments of quality, discipline and, crucially, a red card Hibs could not survive.
Hearts made the big moments count
Before half-time, James Wilson scored early for Hearts and Mendy headed in a second goal. That gave Hearts the sort of cushion every derby side dreams about and forces the other team to chase the game on bad terms. Hibs did not fold immediately, though. Mayor scored before the break and there was a 10-minute spell in which they should have equalised. That matters, because it stops this from being a simple story of one-sided domination. It was tighter than the scoreline eventually suggested.
But tight is not enough in a derby if the finishing is blunt and the defending is soft. David Gray was blunt enough afterwards when he spoke to Scotland, admitting the first half was not good enough in terms of the second balls lost and the goals conceded. He had a point. The goals were poor. The timing of them was worse. And going in 2-0 down, even Gray accepted Hibs could not complain too loudly.
The red card changed everything
Hibs made a couple of changes at half-time and came out in the second half with more purpose. Gray said as much, and he was right to note that the response was much more on the front foot and more aggressive. Hibs got into Hearts, won second balls and deservedly got back to 2-1. At that stage, the momentum was with them. For a brief period, the derby looked alive again.
Then Jack Iredale was shown a second yellow card for a high boot on Miller, and that was that. Not because Hibs had no more effort left, but because a derby is ruthless about punishment. One moment of recklessness, a numerical disadvantage and suddenly all the hard work disappears. Gray described it as a multitude of errors at the red card, and he was not hiding behind excuses. He knew the damage was self-inflicted.
Once Hibs were down to 10 men, Hearts did what stronger teams are supposed to do: they killed the contest. McPake beat three men before scoring Hearts' third goal, which was the sort of finish that does more than just add a goal to the tally. It announces control. It says the game is over, and everyone in the ground knows it.
What the derby really told us
This was the first Edinburgh derby of the season, and it gave us a pretty clear message. Hearts had the sharper edge when the chances arrived, and Josh McPake was the player who stood tallest when the match demanded a decisive intervention. Hibs had their moments and even had a passage where they were close to levelling the game, but they undermined themselves with poor defending, poor second balls and, finally, a red card that ended the debate.
said coverage on Sportscene would start at 22:40 BST, but by then the story was already written. Hearts had the derby win, McPake had the headline and Hibs had another frustrating night to sit with. For a side that briefly looked capable of forcing the issue, that is a brutal way to lose. But derbies do not care about intentions. They care about who takes the moment. Hearts did. Hibernian did not.
