HEARTS booked their place in the Scottish Cup final with a 3-0 victory over Inverness Caledonian Thistle. Uche Ikpeazu opened the scoring early in the second half before John Souttar all-but secured the win. When Sean Clare converted from the spot, there was no way back for John Robertson’s side as their dreams of another Scottish Cup success were dashed on a sun-kissed afternoon at Hampden.

HEARTS WILL NEED TO IMPROVE IF THEY ARE TO CELEBRATE AT HAMPDEN NEXT MONTH

The victory here was deserved for Craig Levein’s side and nobody could argue that Hearts were not the rightful winners as they secured a place in the final against Celtic or Aberdeen. But there is also no doubt that they will have to play significantly better to take the silverware back to Gorgie.

A first half slog was followed by a more stylish showing in the second but the final outcome makes the win sound more comprehensive than it actually was at times. That, of course, matters not to Levein and his players and they can settle down to watch the second semi-final on Sunday knowing that their job is already done.

A meeting with Aberdeen would give Levein a more realistic chance of the silverware but he has shown that his side can beat Celtic on their day. If that is to come at Hampden, Hearts must raise their game once again.

THE RESULT WILL EASE THE PRESSURE ON BOSS LEVEIN

Levein had to laugh off suggestions that he was set to step down from his post and move to Spain in the aftermath of the Edinburgh derby defeat to Hibernian. Now, he will have to delay his summer holiday in the sun as well.

The Tynecastle boss certainly won’t mind the extra week’s work after the Premiership campaign draws to a close and he will hope to have more supporters back on side by the time he leads Hearts out on cup final day.

Whatever reservations fans have about his signings or his style of play, Levein knows as well as anyone what results can do to the mood around a club and within a fan base. Having earned plaudits at the start of the season and criticism in recent weeks, he could now go full circle in terms of his approval rating if he can win the Scottish Cup.

UCHE IKPEAZU WENT FROM ZERO TO HERO

If you were being kind, you could say that the striker didn’t have the best of times in the first half at Hampden. He saw enough of the ball, but did very little with it.

He squandered his best chance as keeper Mark Ridgers saved a rather tame effort easily at his near post, while he couldn’t really bring those around him into play as too many of Hearts’ attacks broke down prematurely.

His bustling style can make him look cumbersome at times, but he is certainly unpredictable and when Levein needed a big moment from him, Ikpeazu delivered. As the ball broke inside the area, the Englishman reacted sharpest and fired a shot beyond Ridgers to break the deadlock and Caley Thistle’s resistance.

It was also Ikpeazu that won the penalty that Clare converted to complete the scoring. It was one of those afternoons.

JOHN ROBERTSON CAN BE PROUD OF HIS PLAYERS

The headlines and the fond memories will all belong to Hearts after this one, but there should be pride amongst the disappointment for the Inverness players and boss Robertson.

The Jambos legend was serenaded by the Hearts fans in the second half but he will be frustrated his side couldn’t give those that made the trip from the Highlands a reason to be cheerful.

At half-time, Inverness were well in the game and hadn’t looked fazed by the occasion or their Premiership opposition. In the end, Hearts’ class got them over the line, though.

There will be undoubted frustration at the result, but Caley Thistle can be pleased with their efforts at Hampden.

THIS WASN’T A SPECTACLE TO SHOWCASE HAMPDEN

As cup semi-finals go, this one won’t go down in the history books as a particularly entertaining or enthralling one. The action on the park was mainly at fault for that, but there was little off it either as large swathes of the National Stadium remained unoccupied.

The ticket pricing, kick-off time and location are all contributing factors. While a band of Caley fans made a decent effort to cheer their team on, there wasn’t much noise coming from the Jambos support before Ikpeazu fired them ahead early in the second half.

The reasons why this game was staged at Hampden are clear and well known and there is no chance of the Scottish FA changing their stance any time soon, no matter how sparse the crowds are when the Old Firm aren’t in action.

As an occasion, it didn’t really live up to the billing and you can’t help but wonder how different the feeling around the whole game would have been if, for example, it had been played at Easter Road. We won’t find out any time in the future.