Scottish Premiership pace-setters Hearts saw their unbeaten league run crumble as Aberdeen snatched a surprise 1-0 victory at Pittodrie, courtesy of Topi Keskinen’s first-half finish.
Hearts have now dropped points in three of their last four matches since beating Celtic, and what once looked like a commanding title charge has begun to stall.
Their nine-point cushion has shrunk to four - and Celtic still have a game in hand.
Despite dominating the chances, Hearts failed to make their pressure count.
Frankie Kent headed straight at the keeper from close range, and Harry Milne rattled the bar as the visitors pushed for the opener.
But Aberdeen struck against the run of play in the 39th minute.
Kent couldn’t deal with a long ball forward, allowing Keskinen to pounce and drill a precise finish into the bottom corner past Alexander Schwolow.
Both sides were without their biggest attacking threats: Aberdeen were missing Jesper Karlsson, while Hearts were forced to play without top scorer Lawrence Shankland.
The absence hit the hosts early, who created little before their breakthrough, while Hearts lacked the killer instinct up front.
In the second half, Tomas Magnusson saw a header saved and Claudio Braga was denied from point-blank range by Dimitar Mitov as Hearts continued to pass up golden opportunities.
The result means Hearts’ winless streak at Pittodrie now stretches to 13 visits, dating back to 2016.
On paper, Hearts should have taken something from the game.
Their expected goals tally of 1.71 dwarfed Aberdeen’s 0.45, underlining how many chances they created.
But with a new strike pairing still settling in and Shankland unavailable, they lacked sharpness.
Aberdeen, meanwhile, made their few moments count, helped by standout defensive performances from Mats Knoester and Jack Milne.
This was Hearts’ first defeat in 16 matches under Derek McInnes (excluding a penalty shootout loss in the League Cup), but just five points from the last 12 suggests momentum is slipping.
It’s not a collapse - but it’s a worrying wobble.
With a packed festive schedule ahead, Hearts must rediscover their cutting edge quickly if their title ambitions are to stay on track.
