Hearts' Dutch hitman Mark De Vries sunk Dunfermline with a double to ensure European football at Tynecastle next season.
Things had not looked good for Hearts when skipper Steven Pressley gashed his eye in a clash of heads with Noel Hunt with the Hearts skipper off the pitch for ten minutes getting treatment.
Dunfermline took full advantage of the extra man to take the lead after 11 minutes when Pressley height was sorely missed.
Gary Dempsey fired in a free-kick from the left-hand side and Andy Tod rose above the Hearts defence to bullet in a perfect goalward header.
Kevin McKenna had a chance to head Hearts level but was off target from Alan Maybury's cross.
So it was left to star turn de Vries to nod home his 15th goal of the season four minutes from half-time.
The big Dutchman managed to come off his marker and find a yard of space at the near post to glance home Maybury's strong cross.
It took two fantastic goal-line stops from Gary Mason to deny first Paul Hartley and then Patrick Kisnorbo and Dunfermline almost went in front when Dempsey's volley bounced off the top of the bar.
But it was de Vries who was to have the last word with a brilliant solo effort.
There looked little danger as he cut in off the right wing, but he left Greg Shields in his wake and fired in a low left-foot shot from 20 yards that slithered under Derek Stillie's body.
And indeed de Vries may well have grabbed a hat-trick in the dying seconds when Stillie spilled Graham Weir's effort back out, but de Vries blazed his shot over the bar.
But the Hearts players weren't too worried because their target of European football next season had been achieved.