Hearts manager Derek McInnes (54) refuses to panic after the 2-3 defeat in the city derby with Hibernian. Despite the Scottish league leaders conceding three goals and dropping points, the manager insists his side have not reached the top thanks to footballing excellence, but honest fundamentals – and they did not stick to those this time.
Hearts were quickly losing 0-3 at Easter Road and it was only a subsequent conversion effort that gave the result a more acceptable form. It was the first phase of the match that McInnes regretted the most. “We didn’t get to the top of the league by being Barcelona. We got there by being good at the basics of the game.” the 54-year-old coach told BBC Scotland. “When these things don’t work, it doesn’t matter how good you are or how in shape you are – it just wears you out.” he realizes.
At the same time, he refused that one defeat should change the overall view of the season. “We have lost twice in 19 games. If we have two losses in the next 19, it will be an incredible season.” he reminded. “We’re not going to lose our heads now. We know why we lost that match,” he said forcefully.
Sit back and enjoy one of the best anthems in football ????
The Hibs fans belt out Sunshine on Leith after an enthralling Edinburgh derby win ????#BBCFootball pic.twitter.com/M9HatL8leH
— BBC Sport Scotland (@BBCSportScot) December 27, 2025
The defeat allowed Celtic to cut Hearts’ lead to three points and the defending champions can go top with a game in hand. But McInnes believes his team will remain mentally resilient, especially ahead of a more favorable run of games against Livingston, Dundee and St. Mirren.
The arrival of reinforcements in January may also be key – winger Islam Chesnokov is due to arrive in the next few days, and the club is also working on other transfers. “Expectations are rising. Now we have to make sure we continue to do our job right,” concluded the Hearts boss.
Table
1
Heart of Midlothian
19
12
5
2
38 : 17
41
2
Celtic FC
18
12
2
4
33 : 16
38
3
Rangers FC
18
8
8
2
25 : 15
32
4
Motherwell FC
19
7
9
3
26 : 16
30
5
Hibernian FC
19
7
7
5
31 : 22
28
6
Aberdeen FC
18
7
4
7
20 : 21
25
7
Falkirk FC
19
6
6
7
20 : 27
24
8
Dundee United
19
4
10
5
25 : 28
22
9
St. Mirren FC
17
4
6
7
15 : 22
18
10
Dundee FC
19
4
4
11
16 : 32
16
11
Kilmarnock FC
19
2
7
10
17 : 33
13
12
Livingston FC
18
1
6
11
19 : 36
9
