How Hearts dodged Morton banana skin in Scottish Cup

Hearts were the clear favourites to progress to the semis, and Kenneth Vargas’ late goal ensured they teed up a tie with Rangers in the next round, but the visitors didn’t have it all their own way at Cappielow.

It was a hard-fought and well-earned win in the end – but Morton certainly didn’t make life easy for Steven Naismith’s men.

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Patience going forward

As has often been the case this season, the first half wasn’t exactly thrill-a-minute. Hearts had fashioned a few half-chances and were dominating possession, while Morton didn’t create much of note at all.

Hearts’ build-up play was patient. The men in maroon would often start attacking moves by passing it around the back, inviting pressure from lone striker Robbie Muirhead and the two wide midfielders.

Once he had been drawn in, the man in possession would then beat the press (Rowles in the example here) by passing to a team-mate, who would then play it forward and to feet.

More simple, side-to-side passes would then follow as Hearts’ backline creeped forward, pinning Morton back deep inside their own territory. In our example, the ball is eventually worked to Baningime in a good position.

Sometimes, Hearts would go direct when building out and hit an early long ball up to the attackers, but Morton’s defenders were usually winning the aerial battle and the second balls that followed.

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Attacking the wings

Hearts fared better when they played the ball to feet and slowly crept forward, but this had its drawbacks too. It helped Hearts get men up the park, but the slow pace of attack also allowed Morton to get organised behind the ball. Space in the final third was therefore at a premium, and that all-important final pass was lacking.

Whenever Hearts were moving into the final third, it was almost exclusively down the wings. There simply wasn’t enough space to go through the centre. They focused their attacks down the right-hand side, where Dexter Lembikisa would hit the byline and try to stretch the Morton defence. Below is a typical example in the immediate aftermath of some patient build-up play. There aren’t any takers at the back post for Lembikisa’s cross, but it's a decent effort.

On the other side, Alan Forrest would tend to drop and show for the ball, and then he would have one thing on his mind: drop the shoulder, cut inside and get a shot away.

It led to a few decent attempts on Ryan Mullen’s goal, but the Morton keeper wasn’t being tested enough. To their credit, the home side were working hard to keep space to a minimum while applying near-constant pressure on the ball, and they were reaping the rewards. Hearts had been the better side during the opening 45 minutes, but Morton were still very much in the tie.

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Morton pressure and Kingsley impact

Morton came out for the second half with a far more aggressive approach. They committed men forward and went haring after every ball, and now it was Hearts who found themselves pinned back and struggling to keep a hold of the ball and shift it forward.

Hearts’ backline started looking for long passes in the face of heavy pressure, but Morton were winning the midfield battle and often intercepting them before they could reach the likes of Vargas. The example below could have easily resulted in the home side taking the lead, if not for a certain Mr Gordon in the Hearts goal. 

It was Morton’s best spell of the game but even then, Hearts were getting forward into good areas – and Stephen Kingsley was crucial. Playing at left-back, the 29-year-old didn’t see a lot of the ball going forward in the first half due to Hearts’ lopsided approach. In the second, though, there was a lot more balance – and when Kingsley receieved the ball in dangerous areas, he often put it to good use.

Morton soon started to tire. With the amount of energy they were putting into the game, it was always going to be a question of when, not if, the hosts would get a bit leggy. The pressure subsided around the 65-minute mark – and then Hearts seized control of the ball once again.

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Attacking the centre

Hearts dominated possession for the remainder of the game, and had some a few passages of play in Morton’s half, but those lengthy passing moves were rarely resulting in shots on goal. Many of Hearts’ best opportunities came from counter-attacking through the middle as the game became stretched, and it became clear that this was a weakness that could be exploited.

Both of the examples below begin with Hearts winning the ball in midfield before Cammy Devling quickly attacks the centre. In the first he drives forward but the pass to Lawrence Shankland is cut out; in the second he hits it early and finds his man. The less said about Vargas' finish, the better.

This vulnerability became more apparent as the game wore on. Morton’s midfield looked tired, and players were reluctant to put a foot in. With around five minutes of the 90 left to play, Beni Baningime took full advantage.

Alex Cochrane wins the ball back, and plays it infield to the former Everton midfielder. And then it’s his time to shine. He bursts forward, gliding past four opponents who look too tired to even stick a leg in.

Shankland drifts into a great position, and Baningime knows it. He doesn’t give the game away by looking over; instead, he keeps his gaze fixed on Vargas before playing an excellent reverse pass. Vargas is telling him exactly where to play it, too.

The ball gets trapped under Shankland’s feet – not for the first time – but he’s able to nudge it through to Vargas, who makes no mistake this time.