Derek McInnes loved the way his Hearts team rose to the occasion as they moved seven points clear at the top of the William Hill Premiership with a “deserved” 1-0 win over Aberdeen.
In front of a pumped-up Tynecastle crowd and the watching Sir Alex Ferguson – a guest of McInnes – Claudio Braga scored the decisive goal when he slotted home after brilliant work by Pierre Landry Kabore in the 28th minute.
The victory left Hearts seven points clear of Rangers and nine ahead of Celtic, with the two Glasgow sides facing each other at Ibrox on Sunday.
“It felt like a big game, I think the fans made it that, and the situation in terms of the context of the league made it that,” said boss McInnes. “I looks like a tight scoreline but I thought it was a very good performance.
“It was exactly the type of performance we needed it to be. We had more crosses in today’s game than we’ve had for a long time. It was the type of performance I was hoping for.
“In an ideal world, you would want a second goal to enjoy that last part, but it was a good three points, no more than we deserved.”
McInnes said of former Manchester United boss Ferguson’s presence at Tynecastle: “He sat in the office for about an hour before the game. He got here early and I’ll catch up with him when I finish with you guys (the media).
“It was nice for him to see Tynecastle the way it was and see a winning performance. He’s watched us a lot this season and he’s quite tuned in to what we’re doing so I’m grateful that he’s made the effort to come and see us today.”
Hearts were supposed to be going to Dubai on Monday for a warm-weather training camp but those plans have been shelved amid escalating hostilities in the Middle East.
“We woke up this morning and were resigned to it that we’ll not be travelling,” said McInnes. “I think there’s more important things going on.
“It’s disappointing obviously, but we might push it down the line because there’s going to be opportunities between now and the end of the season where we could maybe just do a similar booking.
“But we’ll just train as normal in Edinburgh this week.”
Aberdeen caretaker boss Peter Leven was aggrieved that his team were not awarded a penalty in the second half when Stuart Armstrong went down under a challenge from Michael Steinwender.
“We got a player sent off last week when (Dundee winger Tony) Yogane cut across Liam Morrison, and for me it was similar,” said Leven, who felt his team were “nervy” in the first half and “a little bit better” after the break.
“I just watched it back. Stuart Armstrong gets across him, and it’s not shoulder to shoulder. He actually leans in the back of him with a knee as well, so I don’t know why it’s not a penalty. I had a player sent off for the exact same thing last week, so it’s just frustrating.”
