Hibs Women 0 Hearts 4

The first Edinburgh Derby of the new campaign ended in defeat as Hibs were defeated at Easter Road.

Hearts raced into a three-goal lead inside the first half, before adding a fourth deep into the second 45.

Grant Scott made two changes to his side that held Celtic last week, with top scorer Kathleen McGovern and winger Tegan Bowie returning to replace Eilidh Adams and Abbie Ferguson.

Amidst an atmosphere of expectancy within the stands, there was little action for the home support to salivate over in the opening stages - with both sets of players finding it difficult to carve out-and-out opportunities.

That said, there were moments of promise. A well worked team move down the right after 16 minutes gave Kirsten Reilly a great opportunity to cross towards Tegan Bowie in the middle. The promisong ball whistled mere millimetres away from our number 24 in a prime position.

However, with the momentum swinging the way of Hearts - who had a couple of decent opportunities themselves in the opening 23 minutes - it was Eilidh Shore who took some decisive action for the visitors. Beating the offside trap, and with Stacey Papadopoulos and Ellis Notley advancing on her position, the attacker expertly slammed her audacious effort beyond Erin Clachers from long range.

With first blood already drawn, matters became even worse for Hibs some five minutes later. A bungled header saw Hibernian give the ball cheaply away in their area, with Georgia Timms at hand to guide the ball past Clachers once more.

Despite rallying cries from the lively home support, Hearts scored another after 33 minutes. Monica Forsyth was left free to roam on the edge of the area and, after being picked out by Lauren Wade, she guided her shot into the top corner to snatch Hearts' third of the night.

Half-time called for a rejuvenation of the form that propelled Hibs up the SWPL in the early season, forcing Grant Scott to make three changes upon the restart. Adams, Ferguson and Poppy Lawson all emerged after the restart, replacing Linzi Taylor, Mya Christie and Papadopolous.

The change in tactics seemed to do the trick. Adams came close twice, before Ferguson failed to hit the net with a powerful strike at the back post. Hearts defender Erin Husband also nearly gifted Hibs a lifeline with a misplaced clearance into her own net, but the ball whizzed wide.

A quick counter-attack also nearly resulted in Hibs opener. Ciara Grant’s darting move forward gave McGovern a golden opportunity to convert, but her effort was saved by Hearts 'keeper Rachael Johnstone.

The goalie's poor pass upon the restart was then expertly intercepted by McAlonie, who also failed to find the back of the net with her ensuing effort after jinking through a sea of maroon bodies to craft the chance for herself.

Despite a positive second half, Hearts secured a fourth as Jackie Richards fired home from a bracing counter-attacking move to seal the Capital Cup in convincing fashion for the visitors.