Hearts started well and carved out a good opportunity after only three minutes.

Alan Maybury sent a dangerous cross into the box, Weir tried to flick the ball onto Paul Hartley but Killie keeper Alan Combe was able to cut out the danger.

At the other end, a Gary Wales effort brought out a good save from Craig Gordon.

But it was Hearts who took the lead when Pereira beat Garry Hay before sending in a superb cross from the right and Weir bulleted a header past Combe.

Hearts began to dominate without being able to score a second and, in fact, but Killie always looked dangerous on the break..

Debut boy Allan Johnston released Gary McDonald into the box and he squared the ball into the path of the on-rushing Danny Invincibile, but he just failed to connect, passing up a great opportunity.

Moments later, Kris Boyd headed just wide from Hay's free-kick. The game ended with Hearts shading the first half, with Killie still vey much in it!

Johnston almost grabbed an equaliser against his former club but his long-range bounced past the post.

Pereira opened his Hearts account after 57 minutes with a well-taken header and only some excellent goalkeeping by Combe kept Killie in the game as he denied Phil Stamp before blocking two efforts from Andy Webster.

Killie substitute Stephen Murray made the wrong kind of impact when he brought down Neilson in the box, allowing Pressley to add to the home side's lead.

Pereira could have added a fourth with 15 minutes to go when he met a Stamp ball in the area only to fire straight at Combe.

Invincibile could have grabbed a consolation goal with two minutes to go, but Gordon managed to block his effort

Kilmarnock: Combe, Fowler, Greer, Dindeleux, McDonald, Hay, Locke, Invincibile, Johnston (Murray 64 mins), Boyd, Wales (Dargo 55 mins)

Subs: Smith, Dodds, Dillion, Canning, Joly

Attendance: 11,403