Hearts held to goalless draw by stubborn Livingston

Posted Thursday, February 07, 2019 by PA

Hearts were unable to break down the stubborn resistance of Livingston as the Lions claimed their first point of 2019 with a hard-fought 0-0 draw.

Livi, who left Gorgie with a stalemate in the first Premiership meeting between the sides in September, repeated the feat with a well-drilled showing which left goalkeeper Liam Kelly with precious little to do.

Steven Naismith had a goal correctly disallowed for offside but that was the only time the Jambos rippled the net, with further opportunities largely coming from distance.

The visitors even threatened to pinch all three points when Hakeem Odoffin and Ryan Hardie came close in the second period.

Hearts made just one change from the side that defeated Kilmarnock 2-1, with Olly Lee replacing Callumn Morrison. Uche Ikpeazu, making his long-awaited return from a foot injury, was on the bench following four months on the sidelines.

Livingston handed a maiden start to Odoffin, a January capture from Northampton, as they sought to arrest an alarming run of seven matches without a victory. Their last victory, ironically, was the 5-0 demolition of Hearts in December.

John Souttar, one third of a back-three described as ‘big lumps’ by defeated Killie manager Steve Clarke last week, illustrated his grace when he surged forward and nutmegged Shaun Byrne before going close with a drive from 25 yards.

The Jambos did have the ball in the net after nine minutes when Naismith headed a wonderful Ollie Bozanic delivery beyond Kelly, however, assistant referee Daniel McFarlane already had his flag raised for offside.

Despite their barren run, Livi proved a solid proposition as the half wore on, restricting Hearts to a sole effort from distance courtesy of Lee as they reached the interval on level terms.

The Lions – aiming to score their first goal of 2019 as well as earn their first points – almost claimed a shock lead close to the hour-mark when Bozanic was robbed on the edge of the Hearts box, allowing Odoffin to flash a shot narrowly wide.

With Hearts visibly running out of ideas, Ikpeazu entered the fray with 25 minutes to play seeking to add physicality and incisiveness in the final third.

Instead, it was Livi front-man Hardie who forced a fine fingertip save from Colin Doyle when he met a Craig Halkett delivery. From the resulting corner the Ireland international was forced to stoop to block an Alan Lithgow header.

Ikpeazu headed into the arms of Kelly as Hearts pushed for a dramatic winner, but Livi held firm for a pivotal share of the spoils.