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Amid jubilant scenes in front of the away fans behind the goal at time-up at Tannadice, Hearts manager Derek McInnes made a point of pushing Pierre Landry Kabore forward to stand alone in the penalty area and soak up the acclaim.
The Burkina Faso striker led the line really well over the 90 minutes, scoring two goals and making the very most of what he’s got in his armoury.
What’s important is that he is also leading the way for other players in the squad in terms of proving that, even if you aren’t getting the minutes you want right now, it is important to keep the head right and make sure you are ready when called upon.
Kabore had made only five starts in all competitions so far this season prior to the 2-2 draw with Celtic 10 days ago.
He’s certainly different to captain Lawrence Shankland, out injured for the foreseeable future with a hamstring problem. He’s less complete. His link-up play needs work. As evidenced on Saturday night, there maybe needs to be a little more composure in decision-making.
However, his attitude looks good. There’s pace in his game. He looks fine mixing it up with central defenders. In truth, he brings a little bit of chaos to the mix. He maybe makes Hearts, who had been relatively fortunate with injuries and suspensions until recently, slightly more unpredictable.
Derek McInnes reserved special praise for striker Kabore after his two-goal show at Tannadice
Burkina Faso striker Kabore celebrates after giving Hearts an early lead against Dundee United
Filling in effectively for injured skipper Lawrence Shankland, Kabore added his second late on
It was telling that McInnes made a very definite point of bigging up Marc Leonard after the final whistle too. He’s done really well since arriving back at the club on a loan deal from Birmingham City. He’d only managed five starts in the Championship for the St Andrew’s outfit this term before heading back north, but he’s slid into that midfield with minimal issues.
All of a sudden, the injuries to Shankland and Cammy Devlin don’t look like the dream-destroying catastrophes they might have been.
McInnes sounds pessimistic over landing the striker he was looking for to freshen things up further as this remarkable season prepares to enter the final straight, but Hearts do have a number of players in reserve — either working their way to full fitness or just settling into the club — with the potential to come on strong in these final 14 games and give the side a fresh look, fresh options and, crucially, fresh legs just as the likes of Kabore and Leonard have done.
Edouardo Ageu came on for the last eight minutes against a United correctly reduced to nine men thanks to the sendings-off of Amar Fatah and substitute Panutche Camara and there are many waiting for him to really deliver.
Listening to McInnes speak at Livingston when the Brazilian made his debut back in August, you couldn’t help but get excited about what the £1.7million club-record signing would bring to the table.
‘I don’t think he’s got a fault as a midfielder,’ said the Tynecastle manager at the time. ‘He can do everything.’
Midfielder Marc Leonard once again looked a composed figure in the centre of the park
Injury has upset the player’s progress, of course, but he’s coming back at a good time. He can still be an influential performer as the battle for the flag reaches fever pitch. Rogers Mato got the last eight minutes as well after completing his move from FK Vardar.
On the face of it, he will bring pace, danger and goals. He had scored 15 in 17 games for Vardar before arriving. He prefers to operate on the left, but word is he has the ability to play across the front line, which could be useful should McInnes, indeed, fail in sorting out a new centre-forward.
Then, of course, there is Kazakh winger Islam Chesnokov. He’s going through a mini pre-season to get up to speed after a period without training, but McInnes was effusive about the experience and increased levels he would bring to the set-up when tying him up on a pre-contract earlier in the campaign.
Put all that together and you are looking at major potential to switch things up, rest legs, play different systems, use different approaches.
All of which are likely to be vital and utilised as the Gorgie outfit seek to carry on finding an advantage against rivals in Celtic and Rangers, who, as McInnes pointed out deep inside Tannadice, are still light years ahead of his club in terms of resources.
Alexandros Kyziridis, who scored his first goal in three months with a penalty at Tannadice, and Claudio Braga, who played a big part in Kabore’s opener and also won that spot-kick, have had a lot asked of them this season. They’ve delivered too. Yet, you sense there will be times when they will need a rest, need support, need to recharge the batteries a little.
Brazilian star Ageu came off the bench for a cameo but could figure more in weeks to come
That’s not to say there were any signs of fatigue at Tannadice. Far from it. Hearts controlled affairs right from Kabore’s 11th-minute opener and put on a really controlled, composed performance.
They should have won by more. After some hard battles during January, it felt like the kind of display that has really restored momentum at an important time and given them a serious platform to build from ahead of Tuesday’s visit to St Mirren and then those two back-to-back blockbusters against Hibs at Tynecastle and Rangers at Ibrox.
These games are going to take their toll mentally and physically. McInnes’ squad is likely to be tested to the max over the weeks and months to come. However, there is a strong case to be made that there are the numbers to cope with it. The possibilities in attacking positions, particularly, are really, really exciting.
Ageu, Chesnokov and Mato all come with greater pedigrees, for example, than Kabore, who had been playing in Estonian football before arriving in Edinburgh.
If they can all show the same confidence and commitment as the 24-year-old to step into the fray and give it all they’ve got, there is nothing to suggest Hearts cannot carry on proving that disadvantages in terms of finance can be overcome when the recruitment, the team spirit and the attitudes towards delivering when called upon are right.
