Hearts manager Derek McInnes issued a firm reminder to both himself and his doubters after his side's 2-2 draw with bottom-placed Livingston, insisting "we're still top of the league" despite a significant slip in their Scottish Premiership title charge.
With Rangers and Celtic securing victories over the weekend, Hearts saw their three-point lead shrink to just one with six games remaining. The draw at the Tony Macaroni Arena marked their fourth consecutive away match without a win, including disappointing results against the league's bottom two teams.
McInnes admitted he needs to keep himself "in check" to avoid overreacting to the setback. "We go a point clear with six games to go, we're still top of the league and people need to remember that," he told BBC Sport Scotland. "It's a missed opportunity today. We came here with a lot of motivation and expectation, but we have to be honest and say the point was probably all we deserved."
"It might be a really important point come the end of the season, so we're not going to get too hung up on it. It does put more scrutiny on the games coming up."
The match proved particularly frustrating for Hearts, who had fought back from a deficit to take the lead through Claudio Braga's 13th league goal of the season. However, their advantage lasted just seven minutes before Livingston equalized through Lewis Smith.
McInnes expressed particular disappointment with the manner of the equalizer. "The second goal is a ridiculous goal to lose," he said. "You can't keep pulling yourself off the canvas. When we were good in the game, we were very good—we looked polished, connected well, and at times looked like a team at the top of the league. But there were too many moments where we were sloppy and anxious with our defending."
The result leaves Hearts' title hopes hanging in the balance as they prepare for a crucial run-in, with McInnes acknowledging the increased pressure on upcoming fixtures while maintaining confidence in his team's position at the summit.