Two goals in quick succession saw Hearts pull away from Kilmarnock to take all three points at Tynecastle.
Hearts raced into an early lead thanks to some excellent work from the young James Wilson to tee up Elton Kabangu.
Continuing his fine breakthrough season, Bobby Wales equalised with a fine strike from Marley Watkins’ low cross.
However Kilmarnock could not sustain the intensity and soon found themselves two goals behind. First from Jamie McCart’s header with his first goal for the club before a Kieran O’Hara blunder allowed Jorge Grant to score just a few minutes later.
Fraser Murray pulled one back for the visitors but it proved little more than a consolation.
Despite his work for the first, Wilson will be frustrated not to have done better with the effort he blasted over the bar.
Kilmarnock could have equalised sooner but for Craig Gordon’s reflexes to deny Wales, whose header met an excellent Corrie Ndaba cross.
Wilson came close once again after James Penrice’s cutback teed him up but his shot kept out by the flying Robbie Deas to keep the score down to one.
As the home side intensified the pressure, Kilmarnock were at times fortunate to not concede another. Blair Spitall’s curling free kick just missing the goal.
Defeat means Kilmarnock find themselves in the uncomfortable relegation play-off spot with Hearts propelling themselves up to ninth, just three points off rivals Hibernian in sixth.
Line-ups:
Hearts: Gordon (c), Penrice, McCart, Halkett (Neilson 11), Forrester, Spittal (Dhanda 69), Devlin, Baningime, Grant (Drammeh 69), Wilson (Shankland 69), Kabangu (Boateng 92) Unused subs: Clark, Forrest, Taylor, Vargas
Booked: Grant, Boateng
Goals: Kabangu (7), McCart (58), Grant (61)
Kilmarnock: O’Hara, Deas (Anderson 87), Wright (c), Mayo, Ndaba, Murray, Magennis (Watson 68), Polworth (Donnelly 68), Ramsay (Armstrong 46), Watkins, Wales Unused subs: Armstrong, Branna, Brown, Mackay-Steven, Brown
Booked: Deas, Magennis, Watkins, Armstrong, Watson
Goals: Wales (50), Murray (67)
Attendance: 18, 677
Referee: John Beaton