The Dundee players have “rallied round” Sofien Moussa after his mistake nearly proved expensive for the Dark Blues.
The striker gifted Kyle Lafferty an equaliser with a woefully misjudged back pass after Kerr Waddell had headed them in front.
And it took a stoppage time goal from the 19-year-old to make sure Moussa’s brain freeze didn’t prove decisive.
Manager Neil McCann substituted him after his blunder but hopes his side’s response will send out a powerful message.
He said: “I took Moussa off because I thought he lost his composure. He made a huge mistake and unfortunately for him Lafferty came up with a super goal.
“But it was the first thing I addressed in the changing room after the game. I told him it was unacceptable and that it was a crazy decision. But we’re trying to build something. It’s a team game and you’ll make individual errors, but at some point he’ll dig out a team-mate.
“It wasn’t a firing squad. He was told I wasn’t happy with it but his team-mates rallied round him.”
He added: “I’m not going to sit here and kid anyone on by saying the second half was comfortable as Hearts really pushed us hard.
“But we weathered the storm and got our rewards after pushing two up top, rather than sitting back looking for a point. That’s not what we’re about here. We want to win games and push ourselves up the table.
“Set-pieces have cost us this season so I’m pleased we’ve scored from two of our own.
“And the young boy Waddell, my goodness, he’s so powerful. He showed his determination to get in and put his head on it.”
Meanwhile, distraught Hearts boss Craig Levein accused his team of shooting themselves in the foot.
“Losing the game in that manner is tragic,” said the shell-shocked Tynecastle boss.
“It’s the absolute basic of basics to not pick up men at corner kicks.
“We were excellent in the second half and should have had the game dead and buried and to shoot ourselves in the foot like that near the end was mind blowing.
“You can sit on the training ground and do things time after time. Okay, our lads were blocked at the corners but it’s up to them to make sure that doesn’t happen.
“All the effort and hard work we put in going into this game went out of the window.”
