MAROON flares – they actually looked more pinkish, Jambos fans – greeted Olly Lee’s fizzing late winning goal for Hearts.

Yet it was less flair and more the incredible athletic and goalkeeping abilities from Hearts’ new No.1 Zdenek Zlamal that secured this Betfred Cup triumph to send the Ladbrokes Premiership table-toppers home happy.

The Czech goalkeeper had earlier foiled Faisal El Bakhtaoui’s acrobatic volley when, with Hearts a goal to the good after Lee had struck low into the bottom corner from the edge of the box in the 79th minute, he broke Dunfermline fans’ hearts with two superb saves.

First, he somehow stopped Daniel Devine’s header looping into the net by leaping back and pawing over the bar.

Then, with the goal gaping and Aidan Connolly almost certain to take the tie to extra time, Zlamal raced along his line and blocked the Dunfermline substitute’s close-range shot from Ryan Williamson’s cutback.

Match-winning saves they most certainly were. Though Hearts manager Craig Levein didn’t quite see it that way.

“Maybe I’m a bit tougher to please than you guys,” he told the media, “but two of them I’d have expected him to save, but the last one I thought was an outstanding save.”

Dunfermline manager, and former Hearts player, Allan Johnston was far more effusive in his praise.

“We could quite easily have won with the chances we created. Their keeper’s probably pulled off a couple of saves that’s kept them in the cup,” said Johnston.

There was credence to Johnston’s claim that the scoreline “flattered” Hearts and his side were “the better team”.

Uche Ikpeazu could have put Hearts ahead as early as the third minute, while Lee and John Souttar also went close, but for most of the opening 45 minutes, Dunfermline appeared more likely to net.

James Craigen slid in El Bakhtaoui and, at a tight angle, the striker was unfortunate to see his low drive hit the post and rebound to safety.

The diving head of Myles Hippolyte was also inches away from a Jackson Longridge cross.

Indeed while Levein said Hearts “controlled the game in the second half”, it wasn’t until just minutes before Lee scored that they created a real goalscoring opportunity – Jake Mulraney tugging wide after wriggling past a couple of Dunfermline bodies.

The late Dunfermline onslaught even saw goalkeeper Lee Robinson go on "a maddy" and run to the halfway line with the ball at his feet before launching a diagonal cross into the box. It wasn’t to be.

After the final whistle, Kyle Lafferty, brought on as a second-half substitute as he continues to be heavily linked with a move back to Rangers, threw his shirt into the Hearts fans as they loudly chanted his name.

Levein dismissed what appeared to be a farewell gesture.

“It costs us a fortune,” said Levein. “He does that every single weekend. Don’t read into anything into that.”

Asked directly whether that was Lafferty’s last game for Hearts, Levein replied: “No.”

Even if it was or wasn’t Lafferty’s final act for Hearts, for once it wasn’t him who deserved the cheers. It was Zlamal.