Hearts knocked 10-man city rivals Hibernian out of the Homecoming Scottish Cup with a 2-0 win at Easter Road.
Nade and Glen goals see Hearts progress
Hearts knocked 10-man city rivals Hibernian out of the Homecoming Scottish Cup with a 2-0 win at Easter Road.
Hibs were always facing an uphill battle from the minute Steven Fletcher was sent off just past the half hour mark for a dangerous tackle on Christophe Berra.
Hearts made their numerical advantage count seven minutes before the break when Christian Nade converted Andrew Driver's cross.
The visitors made the game safe in stoppage time when substitute Gary Glen rounded Grzegorz Szamotulski to score his first goal of the season.
In a scrappy start, Fletcher tried to go around Janos Balogh but the Jambos goalkeeper guessed right and managed to take the ball from his feet and the Hibs striker was then penalised for a foul on Eggert Jonsson as he tried to win back the loose ball.
It was the first frustrating moment for the Scotland striker, who would not see out the opening 45 minutes.
As on-field temperatures increased, Berra was booked for a foul on Jonatan Johansson but the Hearts skipper was the victim when Fletcher was red-carded on the half-hour mark.
The Hibs striker lost possession from a long Lewis Stevenson pass and in his frustration he left his foot in against the Hearts skipper, leaving referee Craig Thomson with little option but to send him off.
The dismissal fired up the home fans, who viewed the decision as an injustice, but for the first time in the game Hearts sensed they had the advantage and in the 38th minute Nade fired them ahead.
Opener
When Hibs failed to clear another attack, Driver found himself with space on the left-hand side and goalkeeper Yves Ma-Kalambay ambling towards him leaving his goal exposed.
When the Hearts midfielder cut the ball across the six-yard box Nade pounced ahead of Hibs skipper Rob Jones to knock the ball high into the net.
The cup tie had swung quite clearly towards the Tynecastle side and there appeared to be more good news for the visitors when Ma-Kalambay was left in the dressing room at the interval with a reported hamstring injury.
Former Dundee United goalkeeper Szamotulski, who signed until the end of the season earlier in January, took over to make his Hibs debut. Szamotulski almost had a nightmare start when he struggled with a David van Zanten back-pass but while he escaped, Hearts' increased energy and enthusiasm promised a difficult Easter Road baptism for the Pole.
Gesture
Hibs brought on Colin Nish and Alan O'Brien for Johansson and Derek Riordan in the 65th minute with Riordan being shown a yellow card on his way off for gesturing to the Hearts supporters.
The double substitution gave the home side renewed enthusiasm as they went all out for the equaliser but Hibs boss Mixu Paatelainen irked referee Thomson so much with his complaints that he was reprimanded.
However, in going forward, the Leith side were leaving gaps and they were let off the hook in the 77th minute when Nade's header from Driver's cross was saved comfortably by Szamotulski, the goalkeeper making a better save from Driver with four minutes remaining.
In the third minute of injury time Hearts substitute Glen made sure of a place in the fifth round when he took a pass from Karipidis before rounding Szamotulski and knocking the ball into the empty net.
