Scottish Premiership leaders Hearts drop crucial points as battling Livingston earn valiant draw

Hearts reclaimed their status as Scottish Premiership leaders but missed the chance to restore their three-point cushion after being held to a 2-2 draw by bottom side Livingston .

The Jambos had been knocked off the top for the first time since September after Rangers edged ahead of them on goal difference by defeating Dundee United on Saturday.

Although they ended the weekend a point clear at the summit with six games to play, there was a huge sense of frustration among the 7,000 travelling supporters at Almondvale after the Edinburgh side dropped points for the fourth away game in succession.

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Hearts dropped crucial points at Scottish Premiership strugglers Livingston (Steve Welsh/PA Wire)

Goals from Hearts strikers Lawrence Shankland and Claudio Braga had overturned Stevie May's early opener, only for the Lions to equalise through Lewis Smith.

And Hearts finished the game with 10 men as Marc Leonard saw red in added time.

The Jambos were stunned after five minutes as Livi - without a win since August - went ahead from their first foray up field.

Babacar Fati drove up the left and his cross was headed out by Jamie McCart as far as Scott Arfield , whose shot was blocked by McCart.

The ball ricocheted back to May, who drove a precise low shot into Alexander Schwolow's bottom right-hand corner from the edge of the box.

Craig Halkett then had to stand firm to stop Mo Sylla forcing in a second for the Lions.

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Livingston earned a potentially vital point (Steve Welsh/PA Wire)

After this chastening start, Hearts started to get themselves into the ascendancy. Braga saw a shot on the turn saved by Jerome Prior before Alexandros Kyziridis was tantalisingly close to turning in Oisin McEntee's inviting delivery from the right.

Kingsley then blazed an angled effort just wide after overlapping Kyziridis on the left.

The equaliser came in the 24th minute when Cristian Montano failed to clear his lines and Leonard arrowed in a brilliant cross from the right that was powered home by the head of Shankland from six yards out.

Hearts' tails were up and Shankland almost struck again four minutes later when he blasted just wide after Braga headed a Kyziridis cross down to him on the edge of the box. Braga then saw a low shot from 18 yards tipped behind by Prior.

Hearts had three chances in quick succession just before the break, but Shankland twice and Kyziridis were unable to force the ball into the net after excellent work by Braga.

The Jambos got themselves ahead in the 51st minute when Kyziridis' cross from the left was headed back across goal by Shankland and Braga nodded in from a couple of yards out.

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Marc Leonard was given his marching orders late on (Steve Welsh/PA Wire)

The visitors appeared to have control of proceedings as they went in search of a third, with Islam Chesnokov denied by Prior before Shankland headed wide at the back post.

But Livi levelled in the 58th minute when Smith forced the ball in from a tight angle at the back post after Joel Nouble had helped on a low cross from Montano, who had intercepted Halkett's pass to Chesnokov near the halfway line and surged up the left channel.

Hearts' frustration was compounded in stoppage time when Leonard was sent off for being deemed to have denied Robbie Muirhead a goal-scoring opportunity.