Steven Naismith and Lee Johnson clash in ugly scenes as mass Brawl erupts in Edinburgh Derby

Hibernian manager Lee Johnson took aim at his Hearts counterpart Steven Naismith as tempers flared in the aftermath of a fiery Edinburgh derby at Tynecastle.

The pair were at odds throughout as the 10-man Jambos, who had sent off Alex Cochrane in the first half, held on for a point to secure fourth place in the Premiership and prevent their city rivals from cinching them caught off guard.

Johnson, whose side were level on a Kevin Nisbet free kick after Yutaro Oda’s early opener, even had a hot water bottle thrown at him from the home dugout after entering the Hearts technical area to pick up the ball. to fetch.

After the two managers had a full-time icy handshake, Johnson appeared to punch Naismith in the ribs with his fist, before a skirmish broke out in the center circle when Hearts second-half goalkeeper Ross Stewart elbowed the Hibs boss as he passed him walked. .

Johnson, Stewart, Hearts goalkeeping coach Paul Gallacher and Hibs defender Rocky Bushiri all received red cards afterwards, while an investigation is likely after Hibs substitute Marijan Cabraja appeared to have been hit by a Hearts supporter as he attempted to grab the ball to make a to take a throw. in.

The Hearts boss (pictured) appeared to clash with Johnson after the full-time whistle sparked a massive brawl on the touchline

Asked about the source of the tension, Johnson said: “I couldn’t even tell you. It was a classic ‘my dad is taller than your dad’ melee type thing.

“It was a frustrating race in terms of ebb and flow because there was no current. The loss of time was quite embarrassing at times.

“It was a case of two managers not liking each other and that’s where it started.

“I’ll save the hot water bottle that was thrown at me for the winter!

“There was a bit of backlash, but it happens, technical areas are a passionate place. It’s not a problem, we move on.

“I’ve been a manager for so long, you see it all in the technical field. It’s nothing.”

Asked why there was a needle between him and Naismith, who has been in charge of Hearts since Johnson’s former teammate Robbie Neilson was sacked in April, the Hibs boss said: “He’s played seven games as manager and I just think how he speaks is disrespectful to the previous manager.

“We will see after 250 games if he is lucky enough to still be in charge of a club and if he still has that attitude.”

Naismith rejected Johnson’s claims of disrespect towards Neilson.

“He’s fishing, I think, that’s what he’s doing,” he said.

The 36-year-old also defended himself in the face of Johnson’s dig that he had only been manager for seven games.

“I have a 15-year career at the highest level,” he said. “I’ve managed to pull stuff from some of the best managers in Britain.

After the match, Johnson claimed that Naismith (pictured) had been disrespectful to former Hearts manager, Robbie Neilson

Hearts’ Alex Cochrane was sent off in the first half of the game, his second red card this month

“I’ve spent the last two years working in a role under arguably Scotland’s best manager (Steve Clarke).

“I’m not naive to think I know everything, but what I’ve done is my homework. I’ve had two solid years of good coaching.”

Asked about the post-game flare-up, Naismith – whose side are guaranteed to be a cracker in the Europa Conference League next season – said: “I’m not sure if I’m being honest, I shook hands and got out of there, I was not bothering you along.

“I know these situations can turn into things, especially in a derby with high emotions, but I was just buzzing to get the result and enjoy it with the fans.”