A goalkeeping howler from Colin Doyle handed Motherwell a sixth consecutive Ladbrokes Premiership victory as David Turnbull’s free-kick somehow found the net in stoppage time.
Turnbull’s 25-yard strike looked to be harmlessly bouncing into Doyle’s hands after substitute Ben Garuccio had been sent off for a lunging tackle on Liam Grimshaw. But the goalkeeper let the ball slip out of his hands and it spun behind him into the net.
It sealed a sixth top-flight win on the trot for Motherwell for only the second time in 82 years – the previous time they beat Hearts in 2014.
Steven Naismith looked to have earned Hearts a point with a sublime lob to level before the break after Jake Hastie gave Motherwell an early lead when he cut inside and fired another tremendous goal – his fourth in three matches.
Mulraney got forward to good effect down the left as Hearts made the brighter start but his intercepted forward pass led to Motherwell’s 13th-minute opener.
Curtis Main flicked Allan Campbell’s ball down the right into Hastie’s path and the winger ran at pace at Christophe Berra before cutting inside the Hearts captain and unleashing a powerful strike high into the net from 16 yards.
Mulraney soon gifted the ball to Main but the striker shot off-target before Hastie forced a save from Doyle after Campbell’s pass.
Uche Ikpeazu got outside of Tom Aldred and delivered a low cross which Naismith mis-kicked. But, with Richard Tait slipping as he tried to block, the coast was clear for the Scotland forward to loft the ball over Mark Gillespie’s head from eight yards.
Doyle made another good save from Turnbull before Garuccio cleared Main’s header off the line.
Hearts threatened from two set-pieces but Gillespie stopped Ikpeazu’s shot on the turn before Naismith blazed over at the back post.
