The 3-2 defeat at Pittodrie was the Edinburgh club’s greatest performance of the season.

Interim Hearts manager Liam Fox filed a grievance over midfielder Jorge Grant’s red card in his team’s 3-2 loss to Aberdeen. Grant was sent off in the second half with the score at 2-2, handing the hosts the initiative.

They won their 13th game in a row under manager Jimmy Thelin, thanks to a late goal from Ante Palavera. Hearts put in their best effort of the season, but they ultimately departed the north east empty-handed and remain at the foot of the Premiership table without a domestic win this season.

“We produced a lot of opportunities, including some pretty fantastic ones. “That occurs in football,” Fox conceded. “On another day, you’d hopefully take them and have a different conclusion. The red card undoubtedly alters the pace of the game. Another thing to note is that the second [Aberdeen] goal was scored while the ball was still going from a free kick.

“They increase the park score. Jorge Grant is then booked for dissent after complaining about the ball moving, then he is sent off for a challenge. So, there is irritation and disillusionment. It’s a painful one to accept.

“I spoke with John [Beaton] fairly fast. He just stated that the decision was up to him. First and foremost, Jorge Grant has raised his hands and believes he has let the squad down. There is no doubt that sending off impacts the game’s flow and momentum. That is football. We work in a world with razor-thin margins, and I believe those two factors worked against us today.

Hearts are presently interviewing possible replacement managers, and Fox was asked if the game at Pittodrie marked the end of his interim rule. “I’ve no idea until somebody from the club tells me differently but until such times that is, I’ll be back to work tomorrow,” he informed me.

“We also have the international break now, which will probably give the club some time to go through the process, which I’m sure they’re already doing. It’s been a joy and an honour for me to take on this responsibility, and in the near term, I’m simply unhappy that we didn’t get anything out of today.

“I have to give the guys credit because it would have been extremely easy to fall down. The mood was great today; Aberdeen had been flying high, but I think we recovered swiftly. I believed we took control of the game; I thought we passed it well, moved it well, pressed hard, and created opportunities. So, while there are many positives to take, we have come away with nothing. That is the disappointment.”

Hearts defeated Dinamo Minsk 2-1 in the Conference League on Thursday before producing their greatest performance of the season so far at Pittodrie. Fox tried to express their dissatisfaction with the match’s outcome.

“Yes, sure. That’s a difficult thing to address because, in my brief tenure here, that’s the best we’ve done in three games. We achieved a fantastic result the other night after digging a point out the week before. I think we deserved better tonight, but as I have stated, we live in a world of football where you don’t always get what you deserve.

Stephen Kingsley was replaced in the first half due to an ankle ailment. “He rolled his ankle really early. That is upsetting for him, but I felt James Penrice performed well when he came on. “Everyone who went to the park today contributed.”

Grant was first cautioned for arguing to referee John Beaton that the ball was in motion when Aberdeen took a free kick leading up to their second goal, which was scored by defender Nicky Devlin. Grant then fouled home replacement Duk on 74 minutes and received a second yellow card, followed by a red.

This week, Hearts players will train while others travel on foreign duty. They face Raith Rovers at Stark’s Park on Wednesday for Ross Matthews’ testimonial game. “We have Ross Matthews’ friendly on Wednesday night, so we will be back in. We’ll be off tomorrow [Monday], and then we’ll see where we stand the remainder of this week.

“You brood over every failure and disappointment. That’s the nature of football, as is coaching and management. I believe we will see that there were some positives today, but I am repeating myself. All I’m feeling is aggravation and disappointment, not for myself, but for the guys, because I believed they deserved better today.”

Thelin praised Hearts as he continues to lead Aberdeen to victories. “I think Hearts, like I told you on the press conference before the game, they are looking better and sharper,” said the soccer coach. “They have a terrific group, and we got off to a wonderful start today, with a very nice goal.

“Then they identify certain areas where we need to improve in the future and put us to the test within the game. Things do not always go as planned, and that is the nature of football. You also face an opponent on the other side. The team stays together after these opportunities and does not get overly upset.

“We made a few blunders today. That is football. Football is a game of blunders. You have to lessen them while remaining fearless. I don’t think now is the best day to analyze it. We have to consider the environment, how we made substitutions, and how they affected the game.

“The whole of Pittodrie was bouncing.” These are positive sensations, and they reflect the team’s character when things don’t go as planned but it still finds ways to win. And this desire to find the winning goal, even if there were ten guys. We try to push, and I’m quite pleased with that today.”

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