Robbie Neilson makes statement ahead of Hibs-Hearts derby as club reveal full extent of Craig Halkett's injury

A 2-0 win over Motherwell at Tynecastle Park put third-place Hearts ten points ahead of the North Lanarkshire club in fourth. They are also 12 points above Hibs but Neilson stressed victory in Leith is a must regardless of league positions and points totals.

“It doesn’t really matter. We’re going to Easter Road so we have to win,” he said after making six changes to his line-up. “It doesn’t matter if we’re 10 points ahead or 10 points behind. All our focus now is going there and trying to get three points.

“The hardest bit for me is rotating the squad and keeping everyone happy and fit. We’ve managed to do that today. Two of the changes were enforced due to injury and the other four were just to freshen it up and get us ready for Tuesday night.”

Andy Halliday and Ellis Simms scored for Hearts, with the on-loan Everton forward claiming his first goal in maroon. Newest signing Toby Sibbick also made his debut as a half-time substitute for John Souttar.

“It was a tough game. Motherwell are well organised, they make it a difficult game to get any flow. We knew it would be like that,” said Neilson. “I’m delighted with the three points but disappointed with the performance. I thought we’ve played a lot better than that this season. Especially at home, we should be performing better.

“We didn’t control the game that well. Credit to Motherwell, they make it like that. They get bodies around the ball, they play direct knock downs, but we need to show a bit more composure.

“John got a knock with a challenge in the first half. He came in at half-time and was sore. I was planning on giving Sibbick some game time for 20-30 minutes, so he got a wee bit more.

“Sibbick did well. He looked good. His fitness levels are still to improve,