Terrors heading in right direction

Dundee United moved into fifth place in the table with an excellent 2-0 victory at Hearts. The visitors struck towards the end of each half through headers by Jon Daly and Gavin Gunning to leap above their latest opponents in the standings.

Hearts actually had the better start with Dusan Pernis saving from both Rudi Skacel and Scott Robinson before Stephen Elliot turned inside the area and drove straight at the Slovakian international. His opposite number Jamie MacDonald then tipped over a Gunning header midway through the opening half and Ian Black volleyed at Pernis in reply.

But it was the visitors taking the lead just ahead of the interval with Daly heading in his seventeenth of the campaign from a free-kick delivered by the recalled Barry Douglas.

There was still enough time remaining in the first-half for Elliot to come close to equalising when forcing Robbie Neilson to head off the line before Danny Grainger went down too easily inside the area under challenge from Willo Flood following the restart.

Skacel and Elliot both later went close for the hosts with Pernis and Gunning managing to deny them before the latter ventured upfield to despatch a late header from Gary Mackay-Steven's 85th minute corner and secure another impressive away victory.

Hearts: MacDonald, Grainger, Barr, Obua (Driver 67), Zaliukas (Suso Santana 46), Hamill, Black (McGowan 40), Skacel, Taouil, Elliott, Robinson

subs (unused): Ridgers, Prychynenko, Holt, Glen

Dundee United: Pernis, Neilson, Dillon, Gunning, Douglas, Flood, Robertson (Ryan 89), Rankin, Mackay-Steven, Daly, Russell (Armstrong 59)

subs (unused): Banks, Kenneth, Watson, Lacny, Dow

Goals: Daly (41), Gunning (85)

Ref: Murray

Att: 13,176

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