Kilmarnock missed the chance to narrow the gap on Scottish Premiership leaders Celtic to three points as Hearts inflicted their first home loss in three months.
Two goals in five first-half minutes from Sean Clare and Steven Naismith put the visitors into a commanding lead.
Jordan Jones then pulled a goal back from the spot moments before half-time.
Despite a late siege, though, Hearts did enough to claim the victory to move within a point of Aberdeen in fourth.
Kilmarnock could finish the weekend nine points adrift of Celtic if Brendan Rodgers’ side win in Perth on Sunday, while a victory for Aberdeen over Hibs would leave Steve Clarke’s side in fourth.
Naismith factor felt at Rugby Park
This was dogged stuff on a chilly night in Ayrshire. There was little in the early exchanges to heat up the brave souls who ventured to Rugby Park, a Michael Smith effort flagged for offside on 11 minutes the most exciting moment.
However, the game burst into life as the match ticked towards half-time and it was the visitors who edged into the lead on 38 minutes.
A neat interchange at the edge of the Kilmarnock box enabled Clare to jink past a static home defence and fire a low right-footed shot in off the far post for his first league goal.
It should have come as little surprise that Naismith was again at the heart of the Tynecastle club’s crusade to their 13th win of the league campaign as Craig Levein’s side soon doubled their lead.
The move was a piece of magic straight off the training ground. A quick free-kick was played out to Jake Mulraney peeling off on the left, and his low cutback found Naismith perfectly as the former Kilmarnock man steered the ball into the net from 12 yards.
Hearts have won 18 out of the 22 games Naismith has played in this season, and his experience was pivotal in Hearts seeing this match out as Kilmarnock tried to come back into things.
Their lifeline came just a minute before the break with Christophe Berra, fresh from signing a new Hearts deal earlier this week, bringing down Alan Power in a clumsy challenge in the box for Jones to convert.
Clarke’s men upped their game after the break but their pressure yielded little reward. On-loan Liverpool striker Liam Miller should have done better from a header but, in the end, Hearts were not troubled enough in the final third.
‘Clare goal changes game’- analysis
BBC Scotland’s Brian McLauchlin at Rugby Park
Opportunities were at a premium in the opening 30 minutes, but goals change games and Clare is now beginning to repay the faith shown in him by Levein. His terrific first touch allowed him the space and time to slot home the opener but his work rate throughout was excellent.
And with John Souttar, Berra and Naismith back in the team after lengthy spells out, Hearts look more like the side who took the Premiership by storm early in the season.
Clarke’s team will play poorer and win games. They piled on the pressure in the second half but rarely tested Colin Doyle in the Hearts goal. It may be at the end of the season that there will be very little between the teams.
Content provided by the BBC. Original piece can be found here https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/46996820
