Levein praises players as they come full circle from his first dour game in charge
sinthe selve them makin g eenshot decis ion s’ Aberd bad Heart ding. footwith defen Scott dby slack starte away and – dgoal ting secon nnagif them –left McKe ssion posse back. noway chance of winning against whoever we play but it was a strong performance and an emphatic win.”
As good as Hearts were, Aberdeen were uncharacteristically off the pace.
Had they snatched a draw from the two chances that hit the woodwork, it would have been an injustice.
They looked uneasy from the start as a lapse of concentration by Andrew Considine after three minutes sent Connor Randall on a race for goal.
Keeper Joe Lewis got there first but his kick out was unconvincing and when Lafferty fired his shot over the bar it was a big let- off.
Five minutes later the Dons were a whisker away from a goal when Anthony O’Connor rose to meet Ryan Christie’s inswinging free-kick with a powerful header that clipped the post.
But that aside, Dons boss Derek McInnes looked a frustrated figure as he paced the Tynecastle technical area barking at his players about the warning signs he was seeing.
Like David Milinkovic, for instance, who was drifting in from the flanks menacingly to support his strikers. who raked a low finish across the exposed keeper.
Naismith was booked by ref John Beaton for going dangerously into a 50-50 with McKenna then Considine saw yellow for a 36th-minute foul on Michael Smith.
Both chal lenges were tame compared to the way Don Cowie steamed in late to hack Niall McGinn three minutes before the break.
How the Hearts man escaped was a stern warning from ref Beaton is a mystery.
McInnes hooked Greg Stewart for defender Kari Arnason at half-time so that O’Connor could boost midfield.
It denied Hearts the freedom that had been enjoyed by their midfield runners. On the hour mark Milinkovic did burst through and fed Lafferty heading for the box.
The Northern Irish hitman showed great technique on the run, letting the ball roll across the outside of his body before a sudden sweep of his left foot forced Lewis to tip a spectacularly save over the bar.
Dons needed more inspiration so in came Gary Mackay- Steven for McGinn, followed on the 70th minute by Adam Rooney for Christie while Hearts pitched in Danny Amankwaa for the limping Milinkovic.
The Serb received a huge ovation from the home support.
Dons almost gave themselves a ray of hope with eight minutes left when Considine nodded down for Rooney in the heart of the area. The h i tma n couldn’t believe it when his first-time snapshot crashed off a post – but it summed up one of those days for Dons.