Hearts boss Derek McInnes hailed Craig Gordon for the wonder save which secured the Premiership leaders’ ‘best three points of the season’.
The 43-year-old came off the bench just before half-time at Dens Park for his first league appearance of the campaign following No1 Alexander Schwolow’s dismissal.
And he came to the rescue in the final seconds with an outstanding stop from Emile Acquah which clinched a 1-0 victory and consolidated the Tynecastle side’s three-point lead at the top of the table.
Claudio Braga’s first-half strike was ultimately the difference between the sides, but Gordon stole the headlines courtesy of his last-gasp heroics.
‘I thought it (Acquah’s header) was past him, I really did,’ admitted McInnes. ‘I think it beats the majority of keepers.
‘It would have been harsh on us considering how well we defended, but obviously we’re fortunate to have Craig – his experience, know-how and ability at 43 years of age.
Hearts goalkeeper Craig Gordon is congratulated by team-mates after their win at Dens Park
Gordon pulls off a stunning stoppage-time save to earn all three points for 10-man Hearts
Hearts manager Derek McInnes celebrates a victory he describes as their best of the season
‘I think he’ll always make those saves for as long as he keeps going.
‘There’s a lot of motivation for him this season with the World Cup and wanting to stay part of something special here at Hearts.
‘But to get up every morning at that age, go to work, diet properly, throw yourself about a training pitch and still be ready – that says everything about him.
‘With some keepers coming on cold like that, having not played a lot, you’d be a bit concerned. But, like he was for Scotland, the experience is huge.
‘The reflexes are first class and that save was instinctive. He’s always been capable of that type of save, and to do it at that moment was magnificent.
‘For me, that feels like the best three points of the season. We’ve had lots of highs, but I think a lot of people would have been questioning us at half-time, thinking this might be where Hearts run out of steam. We had to do so much right.
‘We’ve had some really good afternoons, some brilliant away-day trips and some big performances, but it does feel like that’s the best one yet for loads of reasons.’
McInnes also reserved special praise for defender Jamie McCart, who made his first start of the season at left-back following injuries to Harry Milne and Stephen Kingsley.
‘Jamie deserves huge credit. He wasn’t playing in his natural position, came up against (Cam) Congreve – arguably one of Dundee’s best players – and dealt with it brilliantly,’ said the manager. ‘His experience was vital. It’s not often both your left-backs are out, but thankfully we had Jamie.
‘Harry twisted his ankle innocuously – he just lost his footing. The scan didn’t look great, but Harry said he felt fine. He ran yesterday and felt okay, but we didn’t want to risk making it worse. He’ll see a specialist tomorrow and hopefully it’s not anything serious. He was desperate to be involved.
‘With Stephen Kingsley, we were practising set plays and he felt something in his groin on his second last one. He’s frustrated and we’re frustrated.’
With Rangers and Celtic both picking up maximum points over the weekend, McInnes knows his players can’t afford any slip-ups in their pursuit of a first top-flight title since 1960.
But the manager claimed he is paying no attention whatsoever to the chasing pack.
‘I genuinely don’t care what others are doing. We knew that if we won today it would strengthen our position at the top of the league, and that’s all we focus on – ticking games off.’
Dundee boss Steven Pressley felt his side were unfortunate not to take something from the contest.
‘Even 11 v 11, I felt we were the better team,’ he said. ‘We were really aggressive in our play, really aggressive in our pressure. With the exception of the goal, we never looked in danger.
‘So there was a lot to be pleased about. And then, in the second half, of course, they’re down to 10 men. It’s sometimes difficult to play against 10 men. But I thought we dominated the game. We did what we wanted to do, which was to get into wide areas, cross and really ask questions of them. But, you know, credit to them.’
