Derek McInnes made the unpopular decisions against Hearts and was vindicated

A win with 10 men in a key game was all about the manager being willing to risk the flak

Kilmarnock went into Sunday’s game against Hearts on Sunday knowing defeat would leave them bottom of the table and promptly went down to 10 men in the opening stages.

At that point any Killie fan would have been forgiven for fearing the worst, but a Bruce Anderson penalty followed by a robust defensive display gave Derek McInnes’ side a crucial three points and lifted them up to eighth in the Premiership.

Only a second clean sheet of the season, in difficult circumstances, and a five point cushion over the bottom side as a run of home fixtures approaches give reason for optimism after a miserable run.

Here’s how Killie won a crucial three points.

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Read More:

• Kilmarnock 1 Hearts 0: Instant reaction to a massive three points

• Big Killie win, red card, ref inconsistency & a bit of luck - Every word from Derek McInnes

• Four months of the Killie Chronicle: What we do & why you should sign-up

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Usually we’d begin with how Kilmarnock set up for the match but, given there was a red card after six minutes, it’s hard to tell.

To the delight of many Bobby Wales was given a first start and while the team would read as a 4-4-2 it likely would have been something more like a lopsided 3-4-3, with Wales joining the attack and Ndaba offering some cover in midfield as he’s done in recent weeks.

That’s certainly how Wales started the game, with Fraser Murray playing as a more orthodox right-winger while the youngster operated as a wide forward.

The red card, of course, changed everything as Robbie Deas was given his marching orders for a horrendous-looking tackle on Kenneth Vargas.

Looking at the replay it does appear the defender lost his footing on the surface, but he can have no real complaints about the red card - intent isn’t relevant.

Having started with a back-four, McInnes’ initial response was to drop Brad Lyons back there.