Hearts 2-5 Falkirk: Jacob Murrell double sends visitors third

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Jacob Murrell scored twice as Falkirk swept aside Hearts 5-2 at Tynecastle to move into third place in the Scottish Premiership.

John McGlynn’s side were five goals ahead after 47 minutes, with Finley Barbrook, Owen Eames and Liam Henderson also scoring in a remarkable display against their injury-hit hosts.

Sabri Guendouz and Claudio Braga replied for Hearts, but the damage had already been done. Falkirk secured a fifth consecutive league win and ended the home side’s unbeaten league record at Tynecastle stretching back to April 2025.

Jacob Murrell double puts Falkirk in control

The visitors needed only four minutes to open the scoring. Hearts goalkeeper Reus saved Murrell’s volley, but Barbrook reached the rebound and finished.

Scott Bain then kept Falkirk ahead by denying Landry Kabore before a counter-attack brought their second. Brad Spencer carried the ball forward and released Eames, who finished in the 17th minute.

Hearts briefly thought they had reduced the deficit through Braga. His finish was ruled out following a VAR review, with the club’s match report recording handball in the build-up as the reason.

Falkirk continued to punish the hosts. Murrell headed in Deniss Melniks’ delivery before Henderson added a fourth in first-half stoppage time.

Any prospect of an immediate Hearts response disappeared shortly after the restart. Eames supplied Murrell, who scored his second to make it 5-0.

Hearts rally after the break but lose another defender

Guendouz, introduced at half-time, pulled a goal back in the 50th minute. Braga later converted a penalty after Lewis Neilson fouled the substitute, reducing the deficit with 15 minutes remaining.

That gave the final score a more respectable appearance, but Hearts never recovered from their first-half collapse. They also lost Malachi Fagan-Walcott to injury, with Leart Kabashi coming on for his debut.

Wouter Vrancken had already been forced to change his side following the midweek defeat at Thun, with Stephen Kingsley absent through injury. The latest setback added to the problems facing the Hearts head coach.

“This is an embarrassment, the first half for sure,” Vrancken said in comments reported by the Edinburgh Evening News.

He criticised the ease with which his side conceded and their indecision both with and without the ball.

Falkirk climb above Hearts into third

The SPFL confirmed that Falkirk’s victory lifted them into third. They are now a point above Hearts after extending a run that also includes wins over Hibs, Kilmarnock, Aberdeen and Celtic.

It is the first time Falkirk have won five successive top-flight matches since 1995. Their rise has been rapid: McGlynn’s team went into the previous international break second from bottom.

“In the first half we were outstanding,” McGlynn said, as reported by the Scottish Sun. He praised his players for taking advantage of the opportunity against a depleted Hearts side returning from European action.

Full team details are available in our Hearts vs Falkirk match centre. Follow further results and reaction in our Scottish Premiership coverage.

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