ANALYSIS
Lennon described it as a “chasm” in the build up to this derby yet it had been five years since Hibs last tasted victory at Tynecastle when goals from Leigh Griffiths and Ross Caldwell sealed a 2-1 triumph.
The chance to shatter Hibs’ hopes of reaching second place and securing a Europa League spot into the bargain was right up Levein’s street.
The rebooted and unplugged Levein has been a joy to behold at times this season.
The former Scotland boss seems to be on a one-man mission to wind everybody up and has gotten under the skin of so many rivals.
Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers, Hoops skipper Scott Brown and Lennon have all been caught in Levein’s crossfire this season.
But it was Lennon who fanned the flames before kick off last night as he flashed 10 fingers to the crowd twice, ANTHONY HAGGERTY AT TYNECASTLE reminding them of the 20-point gap in the table.
It just added to the crackling atmosphere and Tynecastle was rocking as the teams kicked off.
It was high-octane stuff in the early exchanges and the blue-touch paper was lit with two robust challenges inside 15 minutes.
Hibs midfielder John McGinn came off worse in a clash with Demi Mitchell before play raged to the other end and Kyle Lafferty lunged in wildly on Lewis Stevenson.
The big striker copped a booking from ref Craig Thomson for his troubles but would soon emerge as a key player in the drama.
The Tynecastle bear pit then erupted in fury at Thomson after he waved away a decent penalty appeal following Efe Ambrose’s clumsy challenge on Steven Naismith. The noise was deafening at times and the place went beserk as Hearts drew first blood. Lafferty pounced on a moment of indecision from full-back Stevenson and stabbed home his 19th goal of the season.
How the Northern Irish talisman lapped it all up, celebrating in front of the Hibs supporters – just as he did after scoring the opener against Celtic on Sunday.
However, there was a shift in momentum just two minutes after the restart when Hibs were handed a glorious chance to equalise.
Joaquim Adao mistimed his challenge and upended Stevenson in the box, with Thomson showing no hesitation in pointing to the spot.
Florian Kamberi stepped up and neatly sent Hearts keeper Jon Mclaughlin the wrong way to make it 1-1 with a clinical penalty.
It looked like the Hibees would push on from there, urged on by the animated Lennon.
He was kicking every ball on the touchline but was soon left raging as Steven Naismith glanced home Harry Cochrane’s free-kick to make it 2-1.
The Hibs boss responded by throwing on striker Jamie Maclaren for stopper Paul Hanlon who soon got a dressing down in the dugout.
But despite some late pressure Hibs couldn’t hit back as Levein once again savoured a sweet derby success.
The victory kept up Levein’s extraordinary record in the derby.
He has now taken part in 57 clashes with the Hibees as a player and boss and has lost just eight of them.
When it comes to the battle for supremacy in Edinburgh you have to hand it to Levein. The Jambos boss loves to create natural disorder but this result proves he can also back up the big talk when it matters.