Scottish Premier League: No need to panic over Derek McInnes but is Hearts’ form a worry?

Hearts have outperformed their expected goals this season, scoring 29 goals compared to an xG of 22.46, so a more legitimate concern may be that their high return won’t last, especially if Shankland is out for an extended period.

Pierre Landry Capore featured for Braga on Sunday and had some impressive moments in only his fifth appearance for the club, but he impressed with his best goals, scoring high and wide.

Despite the loss, former Scotland striker Chris Boyd saw no reason for concern.

“One win in four, it’s a minor worry,” he told Sky Sports. “I don’t think Hearts had a bad player on the pitch. I think they defended reasonably well, but they lacked that edge. It just wasn’t a matter of him being in front of goal.”

McInnes’ side now go to Motherwell on Saturday, before a test for December fixtures against Kilmarnock, Celtic, Falkirk, Rangers and city rivals Hibernian.

“I don’t think it’s an arduous journey at all,” McInnis said. “We have exciting games and games we can play and win.

“We will bounce back to work and get ready to go again.

“We know who we’re playing for, and we enjoy being at the top of the league. We enjoy winning games more than not, and it’s important we get back to that feeling.”

Reserve captain Cammy Devlin echoed his manager’s thoughts.

“The best thing is that we only have to wait six days before our next match,” he said. “It’s about not feeling sorry for ourselves – we were going to lose a game.

“Just get back to training, work as hard as we can, turn the feeling of the day into smiles and get that feeling of winning again.”