Dundee United showed outstanding battling qualities to overturn a first half deficit to Hearts to get to the brink of clinching a crucial win.
But a late Craig Halkett goal saw United plummet from the heady heights of fourth place to SEVENTH.
Make no mistake, this was a thrilling Tannadice enounter.
The action-packed 2-2 draw between Dundee United and Hearts was keenly contested.
Both sides have the look of teams who are capable of playing European football next term.
Hearts look to have already secured that as they sit comfortably 13 points clear in third place.
But United have a real battle, with assistant boss Liam Fox admitting they are in a ‘shoot-out’ for top six football.
Courier Sport was at Tannadice for the clash and here are three talking points:
Liam Smith looks a class act in the Dundee United midfield
Liam Smith has been deployed in an unorthodox midfield role against Livingston and Hearts.
And with two goals in two games, wing-back Smith has oozed class in the middle of the park.
An intelligent footballer, Smith’s distribution has been good and his strike to draw United level was simply sublime.
When United get several of their key players back – Tony Watt, Dylan Levitt, Charlie Mulgrew, Kieran Freeman and Ryan Edwards – Smith may stick to his new role.
Dundee United need colossal captain Ryan Edwards back for Celtic clash
Ryan Edwards has arguably been United’s most consistent performer this season.
Take aside his successive own goals in the draw with Aberdeen and defeat at Livingston, he has been rock solid for the Tannadice side.
That’s why the sight of Edwards leaving the pitch in 44 minutes with a broken nose was a worrying one for United.
Lewis Neilson can be proud of the able way he deputised for Edwards.
But the Liverpool-born defender brings so much to the table and United need him against Celtic.
More power and pace should be injected into United attack
Dundee United’s defence has been rock solid this term.
But in attack, they have struggled to discover the scoring touch.
And while they netted two well-deserved goals in the 2-2 draw with Hearts, they can learn a lot from how their opponents attack.
🗣"We're a bit disappointed, we want to win every game we play in. We fought ourselves back into the game and scored a couple of good goals, from that position we wanted to see the game out and take the three points."
📺 Post-match reactions from Liam Fox and Liam Smith 👇
— Dundee United FC (@dundeeunitedfc) March 5, 2022
Livingston’s pace and movement caused United problems in midweek.
And the opening goal from Hearts, on 52 SECONDS, was a classic counter-attack strike.
Craig Gordon’s stunning long throw found Barrie McKay and he quickly set-up Gary Mackay-Steven.
Mackay-Steven’s clever pass sent Liam Boyce in to curl the ball high into the net from 15 yards.
United showed in the second period that they CAN cause problems for opponents.
But they should be a bit more gung-ho at times and encourage more players to shoot from distance – with Liam Smith showing how it’s done with his equaliser.
