Scottish Review: Pressley on the spot for Hearts

Berti Vogts received condemnation for choosing Everton instead of Edinburgh yesterday – and Scotland's new national manager missed a pulsating derby that was settled by one of the men he ignored.

Steven Pressley, who is seeking to expand the limited role he had under Craig Brown, delivered success for Hearts last night at Easter Road with a dramatic penalty to secure a 2-1 win over Hibernian.

The first derby success for Craig Levein since he took charge of Hearts 17 months ago – and the first in eight encounters with their city rivals – lifted his team into the top six of the Scottish Premier League. Pressley said: "It has been a long time since we beat Hibernian, but it was sweeter to do it at Easter Road. Now a place in the top six is in our own hands again."

Hibernian's revival under their new manager, Bobby Williamson, had seemed certain to continue when the teenager Garry O'Connor scored his third goal in three games after just four minutes. However, Scott Severin, who earned his first Scotland call-up in Brown's last squad, equalised five minutes before half-time with a sublime curling shot from 22 yards.

Controversy surrounded the 87th minute penalty award when Gary Caldwell brought down the Hearts striker Ricardo Fuller, with Hibernian claiming the Jamaican dived, but Pressley coolly steered in his spot-kick.

Aberdeen supplanted Livingston in third place thanks to Leon Mike's seventh-minute goal securing a 1-0 win at home to Dunfermline, while their rivals for a Uefa Cup place could only draw 1-1 at Kilmarnock.

Barry Wilson's deft 22nd minute finish for Livingston was erased by Craig Dargo's lob 14 minutes later which kept alive Kilmarnock's own hopes of playing in Europe.

Temuri Ketsbaia supplied two goals to help Dundee move into seventh place, courtesy of a 2-0 win at home to Motherwell. The former Newcastle and Wolves midfielder struck with a 25-yard shot after just four minutes and then the Georgian took his season's tally to six with another low shot in 25 minutes.