St Johnstone 2-1 Hearts: Hosts off bottom after just second home league win

St Johnstone hauled themselves off the foot of the Scottish Premiership after beating Hearts to claim just a second home league win of the season.

In a manic start, Ali Crawford finished off a fine team move after just 51 seconds before Nathaniel Atkinson slotted Hearts' sixth-minute equaliser.

The pace dipped but Jamie McCart capitalised on slack defending to head in a priceless second-half winner.

Despite going four games without a league win, Hearts remain third.

The Tynecastle men have a healthy nine-point cushion on fourth-place Hibernian, but his side's form will be a concern for manager Robbie Neilson.

As for St Johnstone, the Perth club's revival continues. They have lost just one of their last six games — winning two and drawing three — and now sit two points above Dundee, who have two games in hand.

Hearts travelled to Perth with a 12-year hoodoo to put to bed. Not since 2010, when St Johnstone were led by Derek McInnes, had the Tynecastle side won a top-flight game at McDiarmid Park.

A 14-game winless run looked like it would extend to 15 when Crawford applied the finishing touch to a free-flowing St Johnstone move inside the first minute.

But in a frantic opening, Hearts equalised when Atkinson slotted in a rebound after Barrie McKay's low, curling shot bounced off the right-hand post.

Both sides, who were missing first-choice goalkeepers Zander Clark and Craig Gordon, were relentless in their push for a second in an end-to-end start.

On-loan Everton forward Ellis Simms stabbed a close-range effort off the near post before St Johnstone's Murray Davidson drilled a half volley just wide at the other end.

The home side continued to probe and the impressive Melker Hallberg saw a long-range effort drift wide of the top