Spittal Strikes Late as 10-Man Hibernian Fall to Hearts in Championship Round Derby

Heart of Midlothian edged a dramatic Edinburgh derby 2–1 against Hibernian in the Premiership Championship Round, overturning an early deficit and making their numerical advantage count at the end.

Hibernian made a perfect start on matchday 34, taking the lead in the 7th minute. Martin Boyle finished a move created by Jamie McGrath, putting the hosts 1–0 up and igniting Easter Road.

Premier League FINISHED

2026-04-26 15:30

Hibernian FC

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Heart of Midlothian FC

Matchday 34 CHAMPIONSHIP_ROUND

The tone of the game changed seven minutes later when Hibs were reduced to 10 men. Goalkeeper Raphael Sallinger was sent off in the 14th minute, forcing an immediate reshuffle as Nicky Cadden made way for substitute Jordan Smith a minute later. Hearts pushed for a response but could not find a breakthrough before the interval, despite yellow cards shown to Warren O’Hora, Stephen Kingsley and Felix Passlack late in the half.

Hibernian’s task became even harder shortly after the restart when Passlack received a second booking in the 48th minute and was dismissed, leaving the hosts down to nine players. Hearts managerial decisions soon followed, with Sabah Kerjota introduced at half-time and Blair Spittal arriving on 58 minutes to add extra attacking impetus.

The visitors finally levelled in the 65th minute through an own goal. Under pressure in his own area, O’Hora turned the ball into his net, bringing Hearts back to 1–1 and swinging the momentum firmly towards the away side.

With Hibs tiring, Hearts completed the turnaround in the 86th minute. Kerjota laid the ball off for Spittal, who struck what proved to be the winner to make it 2–1. Late substitutions and a flurry of yellow cards in added time for Marc Leonard, Joe Newell, Lawrence Shankland and Rocky Bushiri underlined the derby tension.

Further match statistics, lineups and minute-by-minute details were not available at the time of writing. For more on this fixture, visit the full match page on Ballaxy.

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Premier League Standings

Season: 2025/26

#	Team	P	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Form
1	Heart of Midlothian FC	33	21	7	5	58	28	30	70	W W W D
2	Rangers FC	33	19	12	2	66	31	35	69	L L W W
3	Celtic FC	33	21	4	8	59	35	24	67	W W W W
4	Motherwell FC	33	14	12	7	52	29	23	54	L W L L
5	Hibernian FC	33	13	12	8	51	37	14	51	L L L W
6	Falkirk FC	33	13	7	13	45	48	-3	46	W L L W
7	Dundee United FC	33	9	13	11	45	54	-9	40	L W W L
8	Aberdeen FC	33	9	6	18	33	48	-15	33	D W W L
9	Dundee FC	33	8	9	16	34	53	-19	33	W L D L
10	St. Mirren FC	33	7	9	17	27	48	-21	30	L L L W
11	Kilmarnock FC	33	6	10	17	37	65	-28	28	W L D L
12	Livingston FC	33	1	13	19	35	66	-31	16	D W L D