Hearts’ recent resurgence continued as they hit Dundee for six at Dens Park to extend their unbeaten run to seven games.
Goals from skipper Lawrence Shankland, Blair Spittal, Musa Drammeh, Kenneth Vargas and an Elton Kabangu double demolished a dismal Dark Blues side.
The victory was the Jam Tarts’ third in a row and lifted Neil Critchley’s side up to seventh in the Premiership table.
Dundee made two changes to the team that won the Scottish Cup derby against Dundee United two weeks ago, with Imari Samuels and Josh Mulligan coming in for Finlay Robertson and Ethan Ingram.
Hearts made three alterations to the side that beat Kilmarnock in the league last Saturday, with skipper Shankland – making his first start since Boxing Day – Lewis Neilson and Drammeh replacing James Wilson, Craig Halkett and Jorge Grant, with the latter two out injured.
Home skipper Trevor Carson was called into action in just the fourth minute, making a reaction save high to his right to keep out a Shankland header from a James Penrice cross.
However, the home side were then left shell-shocked as Hearts scored two quickfire goals.
The first came in the 15th minute when Spittal played a pass to Shankland, who took a touch before finishing clinically, firing a shot low past Carson.
Spittal got in on the act himself two minutes later, controlling a deflected cross on his chest before volleying high into the back of the net.
Dundee were rocking and struggled to find a way back into the game against a Hearts side with their tails up.
Instead, it was the visitors who were next to threaten when the Dark Blues lost possession in midfield. Spittal worked the ball left to Kabangu but his fierce strike was blocked by Carson.
Dundee finally carved out a clear-cut opportunity in the 45th minute when Mulligan embarked on a powerful run down the right before hitting a pinpoint cross into the Hearts box but Simon Murray’s header was comfortably gathered by Craig Gordon.
Any hopes of a Dundee comeback were quickly extinguished in the 51st minute. Shankland played a superb through ball into the feet of the onrushing Kabangu who outpaced Clark Robertson before finishing clinically past Carson.
The keeper then committed an absolute howler to gift Hearts their fourth in the 67th minute, dropping the ball with Drammeh on hand to fire into the net.
Hearts added their fifth 10 minutes later and it was another cracker. A corner fell perfectly for Kabangu and he hit a superb left-foot finish past Carson.
Then, deep into stoppage time, substitute Vargas made it six with another smart finish past the exposed Carson.
