Aberdeen moved into second place above Rangers in the Bank of Scotland Premier League with a late 1-0 win over Hearts at Tynecastle.

A dire first half ended with Dons midfielder Chris Clark clearing an Edgaras Jankauskas header off the line before Pittodrie striker Lee Miller struck a post at the other end.

Hearts bossed the second half but with four minutes remaining substitute Steve Lovell, who had replaced Miller in the 78th minute, slotted the ball into the net from close range after Jambos keeper Craig Gordon had parried a Scott Severin drive.

It was an ignominious beginning to Gordon's captaincy of the Gorgie side, the Scotland keeper having taken over the armband just this week from the exiled Steven Pressley.

Gordon had to deal with early moments of nervousness from the Jambos' new central defensive partnership of Ibrahim Tall and Jose Goncalves in the early stages, both players taking time to adapt to each other's game to the agitation of the home support.

Play was scrappy with most of the threat coming from crosses into the penalty area, Gorgie striker Andrius Velicka putting one particularly dangerous ball across the Dons' six-yard box which found no takers.

In the 27th minute, the visitors almost took the lead in unusual style following a Barry Nicholson corner from the right-hand side.

The cross bounced around the penalty area before Dons defender Russell Anderson turned and hammered a shot towards goal from only 10 yards out.

Jambos midfielder Bruno Aguiar was handily placed at the post to clear but the ball struck Velicka and only good fortune prevented it rebounding back into the net instead of over the bar.

Moments later, Aguiar fired in the Gorgie side's first effort on goal from a 30-yard free-kick but found Pittodrie keeper Jamie Langfield equal to the task, diving low to his left to gather at the second attempt.

In the 41st minute an Aguiar corner was knocked towards goal by Jankauskas but cleared off the line by a combination of Langfield and Clark.

Then a minute before the interval, Nerijus Barasa's back header went over Tall giving Dons striker Miller a clear run on goal.

But, although the former Hearts player lobbed the advancing Gordon, the ball struck the outside of the post and went out for a goal-kick.

The exciting end to the first half had masked an otherwise dreadful game between the SPL's third and fourth-placed sides.

Four minutes after the restart, Hearts defender Takis Fyssas almost got a foot to a Neil McCann free-kick that was driven towards the near post.

Moments later, an Aguiar free-kick of even better quality from the other side of the pitch beat the Dons defence but no Tynecastle player thought fit to attack the ball which flew right across the Langfield and past the post.

The encounter, however, was becoming increasingly tetchy and error-strewn as the cries for substitute Paul Hartley from the home fans continued to ring out.

The Jambos fans got their wish in the 65th minute when Hartley replaced Marius Zaliukas, the reception for the Scotland midfielder being the loudest noise of the afternoon.

The introduction of Hartley rallied the Tynecastle support and the former Hibernian midfielder dramatically had the ball in the net in the 70th minute but was ruled offside.

Then Tall almost headed a Jamie Smith corner past Gordon from around 16 yards out, the ball flying inches over his own goal.

At the other end, a Fyssas cross from the left was headed wide at the back post by Velicka.

Then Velicka turned a shot from substitute Michal Pospisil, who had replaced Jankauskas, over the bar from barely six yards out.

But in the 86th minute the visitors took a shock lead through substitute Lovell, who had replaced the ineffective Miller only eight minutes earlier.

From a quick throw-in, Dons midfielder Smith slid to set up Severin whose shot from 20 yards was parried by Gordon.

Following up was Lovell who had the easiest of tasks stroking the ball into an empty net.

It was yet another blow to the Tynecastle side whose season continues to unravel.

Teams:

Hearts Gordon, Barasa, Zaliukas (Hartley 64), Tall, Fyssas,Goncalves (Berra 90), Aguiar, Mikoliunas, McCann, Velicka,Jankauskas (Pospisil 75).

Subs Not Used: Banks, Driver, Wallace, Jonsson.

Booked: Aguiar.

Aberdeen Langfield, Hart, Anderson, Considine, Clark, Foster,Nicholson, Severin, Jamie Smith, Miller (Lovell 79), Mackie.

Subs Not Used: Soutar, Diamond, Dempsey, Touzani, Daniel Smith,

Maguire.

Booked: Considine, Nicholson.

Goals: Lovell 87.

Att: 17,274

Ref: S Dougal (Scotland).