Two goals in the final six minutes won Hearts their 10th straight league win in an attritional afternoon at Tynecastle, after being pushed all the way by a dogged Dundee performance.

The match began at a frantic pace as Hearts looked to build on their dominant derby victory, creating the game’s first opening when Calvin Miller’s deflected strike drifted wide.

Play was brought to a halt from the resulting corner when Dundee’s top goalscorer Joe Westley fell awkwardly in the penalty area. The forward was eventually stretchered off with a suspected fractured cheekbone.

Despite the early injury, Dundee took the lead with their first meaningful attack in the 17th minute. Imari Samuels played a slick channel ball that bypassed Oisin McEntee and released Bradley Fink.

The striker made no mistake, lofting a right-footed finish over the onrushing Bo Reus and into the top corner to put the Dees ahead.

Tomas Magnusson, the sole inclusion from Thursday’s derby win, endured a difficult opening 45 minutes. A lapse in concentration allowed Ethan Hamilton to steal possession and drive toward goal, though his left-footed effort narrowly missed, much to the relief of the Tynecastle crowd.

While Hearts had scythed through Hibs with ease earlier in the week, nothing clicked in the opening stages here. Passes lacked crispness, corners were overhit, and attacking moves repeatedly broke down, sparking frustration across three sides of the ground.

The hosts kept plugging away against a resolute Dundee defence. Claudio Braga cut infield to arrow a 20-yard strike just past Owen Goodman’s post before a clever pass from McPake set up Magnusson to test the goalkeeper. Nevertheless, Steven Pressley’s tactical setup proved effective, frustrating the home side right up to the break.

Wouter Vrancken demanded a response at halftime, and Hearts showed immediate intent in the second half. Magnusson slid a through ball to McPake, whose low drive forced a sharp save from Goodman.

Dundee remained dangerous on the counter, however. Summer signing Jack Moorhouse capped off a rapid break by lifting a long-range effort inches over the crossbar. Hearts continued to throw everything forward in search of an equaliser, including an ambitious acrobatic effort from Braga.

With Dundee defending deep, Vrancken turned to his bench, introducing the physical presence of JJ Williams. The American attacker quickly forced a save with a header after Goodman had already thwarted a barrage of close-range strikes.

Dundee’s afternoon took another blow with ten minutes remaining when the stretcher was called for a second time, as Finlay Robertson went down holding his knee in agony.

Hearts kept pressing and were finally handed a lifeline when Christian Borchgrevink’s drilled cross struck Owen Bevan’s arm in the box. Following a lengthy VAR review, referee Chris Graham confirmed the penalty, allowing Braga to step up and bury a clinical right-footed strike into the bottom corner.

The equaliser energised Tynecastle with five minutes left on the clock, and the momentum swung further when Zan Besir was shown a straight red card for a reckless challenge on McPake. With seven minutes of stoppage time signalled, the stage was set for a grandstand finish.

Braga thought he had snatched the winner in the 95th minute when he met Borchgrevink’s cross with a flying diving header, only to be denied by an extraordinary save from Goodman.

The dramatic climax came just sixty seconds later. In the 96th minute, Kerjota reacted fastest to a corner, drilling a precise left-footed strike past Goodman to complete a thrilling comeback victory for Hearts.

In the end, it was a deserved victory for the Jambos, who had endured long spells against a rigid Dundee defensive wall to prevail. The victory moved the hosts into second place ahead of their League Cup quarter-final against Stenhousemuir; meanwhile, Dundee stayed in the top six ahead of a home game against Motherwell in two weekends.

Hearts: Reus 7 Altena 5 Findlay 6 McEntee 5 McCart 6 Magnusson 4 Mendy 6 Miller 5 Braga 7 McPake 6 Wilson 6

Substitutes: Milne 6 Kerjota 7 Borchgrevink 7 Williams 6

Dundee: Goodman 6 D Wright 6 Astley 7 O Bevan 4 Samuels 6 Finnigan 6 Robertson 6 Hamilton 7 Forrest 7 Westley 1 Fink 8

Substitutes: Wales 6 Moorhouse 4 Besir 1 O’Reilly 4 Bevan 5 Wright 5