Hearts 2 Ross County 0

Hearts battled to a hard-fought 2-0 victory over Ross County courtesy of goals from Callum Paterson and Osman Sow, despite playing most of the second half with 10 men. Scotland Under-21 international Paterson gave the hosts a 15th-minute lead with a thunderous 20-yard drive. County's hopes of getting back into the match were aided three minutes after the restart when Hearts captain Blazej Augustyn was shown a straight red card for pulling back Liam Boyce. But Hearts added a second goal in the 67th minute when Sow scored on the counter-attack. The result moves Hearts within two points of second-placed Aberdeen in the Premiership. The visitors worked Neil Alexander inside the first two minutes when the Hearts goalkeeper was forced to claw away a curling effort from Jackson Irvine from the corner of the box following a forceful Boyce run. Hearts were finding it difficult to create any real openings in a scrappy start to the game. Marksman Juanma Delgado turned and lifted a left-footed shot over the bar from six yards after connecting with a cut-back from Sow. Paterson then cut inside Richard Foster and powered forward but his low left-footed shot drifted well wide. But the right-back found the net after a quarter of an hour with a venomous strike from just outside the area. The ball fell kindly for Paterson after Andrew Davies and Foster challenged Hearts winger Sam Nicholson and he drilled a rising effort beyond Gary Woods. Hearts continued to look dangerous in attack and County had goalkeeper Woods to thank for ensuring that the hosts' lead was not greater before the break. Woods pushed away a curling Jamie Walker drive before pushing the winger's half-volley over the bar. Hearts came within inches of doubling their lead after 47 minutes but Walker's low right-footed drive from outside the area flashed past Woods' post. The match swung in Ross County's favour seconds later when Hearts captain Augustyn was red-carded by referee Alan Muir for denying Boyce a goalscoring opportunity. The Polish defender tugged on the striker's jersey on the edge of the box after the Northern Ireland international pounced on Hearts centre-half Igor Rossi's poor pass. Boyce at least tested Alexander moments later but the former Rangers goalkeeper got down well to the marksman's low effort from 18 yards. Despite being a man down, the home side doubled their lead in the 67th minute through Sow. Walker led a counter-attack and cut a pass back to the unmarked Sow. Just when it seemed that County keeper Woods had the ball in his grasp following a poor touch by the Swede, the marksman bundled in an effort from close range. County should have responded immediately but substitute Craig Curran somehow managed to hit a shot off the post from close range with the goal gaping following a poor clearance by Walker. County's spirit was dampened and Hearts managed to successfully defend further advances by the visitors.