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Hearts maintained an impressive recent run against Aberdeen with victory at Tynecastle, with the Dons not having scored against Hearts since 2010.

Ryan Stevenson put the home side ahead from the penalty spot after Josh Magennis tangled with Ryan McGowan.

Calum Paterson, on as a substitute for Stevenson, doubled Hearts' lead with a cool second-half finish.

Scott Vernon had Aberdeen's best chance, Jamie MacDonald saving at the striker's feet.

Despite the victory, the match will have given Hearts manager John McGlynn plenty to think about as John Sutton, brought in from the cold, caused Aberdeen problems and made Hearts look more dangerous up front.

The visitors started the match brightly, with former Scotland manager Craig Levein watching from the stand, and Jonny Hayes fizzed an effort over from 20 yards.

However, as an open first half progressed the home side - who were playing at a high tempo - pressed forward, and Russell Anderson had to to deflect a McGowan cross past his own post.

Goalkeeper Jamie Langfield spilled the resultant corner and was lucky the referee spotted an infringement to spare his blushes.

Both sets of full-backs were pressing forward at every opportunity as the game roared from end to end, but the final ball into the box was failing to find a forward.

However, from an Andrew Driver corner, McGowan's diving header flashed just past the post.

The Dons raced up the pitch and Hayes forced MacDonald to parry his curling effort.

The game changed dramatically when Magennis wrestled McGowan to the ground in the box, with the referee pointing straight to the spot.

Stevenson blasted his penalty into the top left-hand corner of the net to put Hearts ahead.

Paterson went close for Hearts early in the secnd half, lashing a knockdown from Sutton over the bar from a tight angle.

The substitute didn't have long to wait however, as he doubled Hearts' advantage, slotting Gordon Smith's cut-back into the net from 12 yards.

Aberdeen searched for a way back into the match, with MacDonald forced into a terrific save when Scott Vernon picked up on a deflection to find himself one-on-one with the keeper.

But the stretched game allowed Hearts chances too, with a Driver free-kick and a shot from Marius Zaliukas tested Langfield.