In many respects, this felt like a dry run for what lies further down the line for Hearts.

Thursday’s epic victory at Easter Road may have been very much a domestic matter, but the challenge of ensuring a midweek high isn’t followed by a weekend low is one that will soon regularly present itself to Wouter Vrancken’s side as the nights start to draw in.

Will heady nights in the Conference League come at a cost as they have routinely done for Scottish sides trying to pull off a balancing act? Not on this evidence.

Having taken their time to come to terms with the adrenaline crash that inevitably came after the rush of a derby victory, Hearts racked up their fourth league win on the spin to move up to second and ramp up the feel-good factor which is now palpable in this corner of the capital.

Vrancken’s side were leggy and lethargic for 45 minutes but then found something which felt reminiscent of the side last season.

It’s much too early to talk of a possible title tilt. It’s entirely legitimate to state that Hearts are going places once again.

Dundee goalkeeper Owen Goodman fails to keep out Sabah Kerjota’s late winner for Hearts

Hearts forward Claudio Braga celebrates after equalising from the penalty spot at Tynecastle 

Finlay Robertson is stretchered off on a day when Dundee lost three of their players to injury

This outcome looked unlikely when Dundee retreated to the dressing room at the interval deservedly leading by Bradley Fink’s goal.

The momentum of the game shifted when VAR Andrew Dallas correctly identified that Owen Bevan had handled a cross with six minutes remaining. From the moment Claudio Braga dispatched the penalty, Dundee were looking at the clock.

Steven Pressley’s side might well have taken a point had Zan Besir not been sent packing as the game entered stoppage time.

They looked weary as Hearts worked a short corner in the 96th minute and were done for the instant Sabah Kerjota took aim and found the far corner for his first goal in maroon.

It was tough on Dundee who’d played with such spirit for so long. If it wasn’t for bad luck, Pressley would have had none. The Dark Blues boss lost Joe Westley, Ryan Finnigan and Finlay Robertson to injury. Besir’s dismissal, though, was a self-inflicted blow.

Pressley may be glad of the break next weekend. Since winning the Tayside derby, his side have taken one point from nine.

The afternoon started unfortunately. Trying to defend an early Hearts corner, Westley landed awkwardly and had to be eventually stretchered off. Bobby Wales was brought on.

Hearts had actually begun in a businesslike fashion. Jordi Altena dropped a shoulder and took Imari Samuels out of the game. The Dutchman fed Calvin Miller who saw his shot deflected wide.

The lengthy stoppage for treatment for Westley seemed to spook Hearts. Dundee were composed and calm until the break.

The visitors hit the front on 17 minutes. Samuels’ bending ball up the left had just enough pace to take out Altena. Playing on the shoulder of the last defender, Fink still had plenty to do. A composed chip over the advancing Beau Reus was quite the way for the Swiss to open his Dundee account.

The situation could quickly have got worse for Vrancken’s men. Sloppiness in possession by Tomas Magnusson let in Ethan Hamilton. The Dundee skipper drilled just wide.

Although Braga worried Owen Goodman with a strike from distance, Hearts were initially disjointed. Invariably facing two Dundee defenders when they attempted to work their way in behind, neither Josh McPake nor Miller influenced the game.

McPake did execute one brilliantly disguised pass to play in Magnusson. Dundee’s defenders crowded out the Icelander.

From McPake’s deep cross, Braga went for goal. Owen Bevan stuck out a leg to protect his keeper at the expense of a corner.

As the interval approached, nothing was coming off for Hearts. Dundee’s work off the ball had seen to that.

The home supporters were none too enamoured with the marginal decisions of referee Chris Graham, the majority of which, they believed, went against them.

Finnigan’s robust challenge on Altena in first-half injury time was certainly ill-advised but probably deserving of the yellow card which the official pulled from his pocket.

The Dundee midfielder injured himself in the process and was replaced by Jack Moorhouse.

The substitute was a hair’s breadth away from doubling his side’s advantage early in the second half. Capitalising on a lapse in concentration from Altena, he fired agonisingly close to the top corner.

Seeking greater balance, Vrancken had replaced Oisin McEntee with Harry Milne at the break and moved Jamie McCart inside.

The switch resulted in McPake getting away from Drey Wright. Goodman made a stop with his outstretched leg.

Hearts began to play with greater tempo and imagination. Braga looked the likeliest man in maroon to level – an ambitious overhead and a flashing shot into the side-netting came as Dundee conceded more territory.

Goodman also scrambled to prevent JJ Williams netting on his first appearance in Gorgie moments after replacing James Wilson.

What wretched luck Dundee had to cope with here. They lost a third man to injury – and a second to depart on a stretcher – when Robertson went down without any contact from Laurent Mendy with 15 minutes remaining.

They stuck to the task for long enough. Hamilton’s block to prevent Braga’s strike from working Goodman was typical of their bravery.

You could hardly fault Owen Bevan for the error which led to the equaliser. Fully committed to trying to stop Christian Borchgrevink’s cross from reaching its intended target, the contact with his out-stretched arm was unintentional but still punishable with a spot kick.

Braga made a tidy job of sending Goodman the wrong way from 12 yards.

A deserved red card for Besir for a ridiculous scything down of McPake gave Hearts fans hope of an unlikely comeback.

When Braga’s flying header was turned away by Goodman, it looked like it was beyond them. Kerjota had other ideas.

Taking a steadying first touch when he gathered a short corner from McPake six minutes into injury time, he drilled the ball low into the far corner from just inside the box. It felt like a big win at the end of a big week.