Lawrence Shankland ended his 12-match goal drought with a first-half double as Hearts beat mid-table Dundee 2-0 at Tynecastle to move from bottom of the Premiership.
Having scored 59 goals in the previous two seasons at the Edinburgh club, the embattled Scotland international came under fire after scoring just once in all competitions as he and his team made a miserable start to the current season.
But Neil Critchley's unwavering faith in his failing captain was rewarded as Shankland found the net twice in a one-sided first half to help Hearts end a run of five games without a win and move city rivals Hibernian up to 11th in the table.
How Hearts beat Dundee
The Edinburgh side made four changes to the team that started the 1-1 draw with Aberdeen the previous Sunday, as Alan Forrest and injured trio Frankie Kent, Stephen Kingsley and Beni Baningime made way for Craig Halkett, James Penrice, Malachi Boateng and teenage striker James. Wilson, who got his first start.
Dundee made two changes to the side that led to Wednesday's 4-1 win over Motherwell, as Scott Tiffoney and Simon Murray were replaced by Finn Robertson and Seb Palmer-Houlden.
Hearts started strongly and showed their intent in the seventh minute when Musa Drammeh hit just wide from a Penrice cross.
Blair Spittal then fired a shot just wide from close to the halfway line, after Dundee keeper Jon McCracken had run from his goal to make a clearance.
Hearts made the breakthrough in the 21st minute after Spittal's low shot from the edge of the penalty area was pushed away by McCracken. The loose ball was picked up by Penrice on the left and sent into the net from Shankland's head on the edge of the six yard box. It was the striker's first goal since scoring against Ross County on September 28, and his relief was evident.
The hosts were well on top and Halkett headed over from a Penrice corner before Shankland was denied by McCracken's legs from close range after being set up by a Wilson cutback.
After waiting more than two months for a goal, Shankland scored a second inside six minutes when he struck in the 31st minute, curling in the loose ball from eight yards out after Penrice's ferocious low cross was pushed into his direction from the left. path through McCracken.
Dundee had hardly threatened in the first half and manager Tony Docherty responded by bringing on Murray and Ethan Ingram to start the second half.
Hearts maintained good control of the second half, however, and despite having a Drammeh goal disallowed for offside in the 70th minute, they never looked in any danger of letting the Dark Blues back into it.
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