Three points. Four games left. Hearts are in the driving seat.
A late, frantic win at Easter Road on Sunday put Derek McInnes' side in clear control of the Scottish Premiership title race, with substitute Blair Spittal delivering the decisive blow in a match that felt like it had everything. Red cards, a two-goal comeback, bedlam in the stands.
Martin Boyle scored seven minutes in to give Hibs the lead, a sidefoot finish into the corner after Beni Banigime failed to track a Jamie McGrath free-kick. It was a perfect start for the home side and a deflating one for visiting Hearts.
But Hibs made it harder for themselves. Their disciplined defensive display gradually unraveled as the match wore on, not just tactically but numerically. David Gray's team ended the game with nine men, their red cards compounding the chaos and ultimately costing them. The fewer players they had, the more determined their resistance became, but it was not enough.
Hearts equalized, then took the lead. Sabah Kerjota, another substitute, was heavily involved in both goals. McInnes praised the winger's ability to take players on and unlock a defence that had threatened to hold firm. Spittal finished the job.
Lawrence Shankland sprinted toward the Hearts supporters at the final whistle and punched the air. The relief was visible. For stretches of this match, particularly before the red cards, Hearts had looked like they might be denied again in this fixture.
That they were not continues a theme that has defined their season. From the 83rd minute onwards in all league games this season, Hearts have accumulated 23 points. Late winners, last-gasp equalisers, matches dragged back from the edge. It is a remarkable number for a team that has shown time and again it refuses to accept defeat.
The context of this result sharpened its significance further. Earlier in the day, Rangers lost at home to Motherwell, their title hopes now hanging by a thread. Hearts can effectively end Rangers' challenge when the two sides meet at Tynecastle on Monday week. A fortress, as BBC Sport described the ground, and one that Hearts will be desperate to use.
This Edinburgh derby will be remembered. It had the tension and sensation the fixture always delivers: Craig Halkett's 90th-minute winner at Tynecastle in October, Raphael Sallinger's spectacular save in December, Tomas Magnusson's 88th-minute strike in February. Sunday added another chapter.
Three points clear. Tynecastle next. Hearts are not done yet.
