Returns to centre stage his chance in the spotlight
It was far from vintage stuff from the home side.
And with tension turning to frustration in the stands, Levein strode down the stairs of the main stand, whipped off his suit jacket, and took his customary place on the edge of the technical area.
With their manager suddenly casting his shadow over them, Hearts rallied. The magnificent Steven Maclean played in Michael Smith with a lovely back-heel only for Livi to clear for a corner.
Then, from the set-piece, Demetri Mitchell saw a rasping volley, destined for the top corner, headed to safety by the well-placed Scott Pittman.
It was better from the home side – as Levein’s presence demanded it must be. Then they were handed a golden opportunity to take the lead in added time before the break when Livi keeper Liam Kennedy shoved Maclean to the ground after Dunne’s perfect through ball.
Up stepped Steven Naismith, but Kelly dived low to his right to make the save. More was expected from the home side in the second half, but hearts were in mouths 10 minutes in when Livi broke through Menga, who released Pittman, only for Bobby Zlamal to pull off a crucial, one-on-one save.
At the other end, Craig Wighton, on his first start for the Jam Tarts, went close with a glancing header.
Yet it was hard to shake the feeling it was destined to be an underwhelming afternoon.
Olly Lee slipped in Maclean with 20 minutes to go, but the assistant referee’s flag extinguished home hopes.
In the end, despite Hearts’ late dominance of possession – and a lastgasp effort off the bar by Maclean – Livi proved impossible to break down.
For their manager, Gary Holt, it was a satisfying afternoon’s work: “That, out there today, that was us.
“If we turn up and play football we won’t win games or get a result like this. We have to stick to what we’re good at.
“If we do that every week, we’ll get results that’ll keep us high up the league.”