Olly glee as late Hearts surge sees off Motherwell in thriller
● Home side hit back after falling behind to emerge victorious in six-goal classic
Maclean 35; Haring 64; Lee 88; Naismith 90 one. In his absence, and with fellow frontman Craig Wighton cup-tied, Hearts manager Craig Levein relied on the experienced duo of Steven Naismithandstevenmaclean
With both teams well aware of the prize at stake, this tie ignited immediately.
In the third minute, Olly Lee delivered a corner and Curtis Main headed off the line from a Naismith header as ball was heading for the top corner. From the subsequent corner, Motherwell struggled to get the ball away and Chris Cadden had to head off the line from John Souttar’s effort.
Three minutes later it was Liam Grimshaw threatening at the other end but his shot was narrowly wide. Ryan Bowman then tried to hit a first-time effort for the visitors but scuffed it.
In the 10th minute Mothewell took the lead when Liam Donnelly’s header across goal hit the arm of Jimmy Dunne and Curtis Main leathered the spot kick past Zdenek Zlamal.
Motherwell were trying to turn the screw as Hearts battled to try to stabilise and get things back on an even keel.
Main was through in the 19th minute but he snatched at his shot and Zlamal gathered. But the home side were struggling to win second balls as the visitors dished out some solid and some wild challenges and refused to let their hosts settle.
0 Hearts midfielder Olly Lee celebrates in front of the home fans after his dramatic late goal in the 4-2 win over Motherwell at Tynecastle.
Hearts have not been to Hampden since losing the final of this contest to St Mirren in 2013 and, although Stephen Robinson’s men provided the competition for Celtic in both domestic cup finals last term, the fact they left the national stadium without the silverware on both occasions meant they were feeling as if they had unfinished business.
As the game surged from one end of the pitch to the other, the teams traded attacks with the same gusto heavyweights trade blows. Hearts’ Callumn Morrison was proving dangerous as he jinked down the wing and, when he pushed the ball out to Michael Smith in the 32nd minute, Smith whipped in a cross that was just popped up over the bar from Maclean.
Straight up other end, Main latched on to another long ball and tried to sneak the ball in the far top corner, but Zlamal tipped it away and it was then hoofed clear.
In the 35th minute the home side restored parity. Arnaud 0 Ryan Bowman levelled for Motherwell with a brilliant volley but they couldn’t hang on.
Djoum chased down a loose ball and fed it to Morrison who drilled it in to Naismith at back post and he nodded it back across goal for Maclean to stab home.
Djoum then floated an effort over the bar and as Hearts sharpened up on their passing and Morrison grew in stature on the wing, Naismith headed over. While the Fir Park
men were a constant threat on the counter, as the second half progressed, it was Hearts who began to gain more control and Morrison picked out Naismith from the right but Scotland forward couldn’t keep his header low enough to test Carson.
They tried, tried and tried again to carve out the goal that would take them into the lead.
but with crosses peppering the box, Naismith, Dunne and Peter Haring all sent headers wide of target.
The goal finally came in the 64th minute, as the ball was played into the middle and John Souttar helped it across the goalmouth for Haring to slide in and make it. 2-1.
However,inthe80thminute, Motherwell levelled when Bowman ran on to a header and walloped an unstoppable shot into the top corner of Zlamal’s net.
With just two minutes remaining, Lee buried a strike to score his fourth goal of the season and finally quash Motherwell hopes, before Naimsith topped off proceedings with a breakaway goal in stoppage time.