It was very much a game of total domination as the Tangerines strolled to the three points with a wonderful display which the visitors could not match in style or effort.
United almost drew first blood in the fifth minute when Jon Daly met Craig Conway's short corner with a marvellous glancing header, but unfortunately the ball thundered off the underside of the bar.
And the Terrors really should have grabbed the lead five minutes later when Sean Dillon played a neat one-two with Willo Flood and was through one-on-one with the keeper courtesy of a Hristos Karipidis error, but Marian Kello did well to block.
The visitors meanwhile contributed to an open match with some free flowing football, though they did little to trouble the United goal in the first 25 minutes.
But it was United who continued the pressure with only a brilliant tip over the bar from Kello in the 24th minute preventing Scott Robertson's back header from looping into the top corner.
Hearts' first real chance came in the 26th minute with excellent play from Michael Stewart giving Jamie Mole a great chance, however the young striker's effort was well blocked by Darren Dods.
And it took the Jam Tarts 37 minutes before they had their first shot on target, a weak shot from Saulius Mikoliunas.
The Tangerines' main threat remained the aerial ball and Kello was fortunate to see his mistimed punch in the 33rd minute fly just over his own bar after a tussle with Daly.
Finally, the Terrors were rewarded in the 39th minute with a fantastic goal from Conway. After Stewart had been cautioned for a foul on the winger, he touched the ball to Robertson who tapped it back and the youngster curled a beauty into the top corner.
Two minutes later it was almost two with a piledriver from Morgaro Gomis crashing off the bar.
But five minutes into the second period the Terrors did make it two with a powerful volley from Daly.
Following excellent interplay on the right flank from Dillon and Flood, the latter curled in a ball which the striker met first-time and although Kello touched it on to the post, the ball still hit the back of the net.
And it was game over on the 61st minute when the excellent Scott Robertson back-headed the ball into the net for his first league goal for the Tangerines from a Conway free-kick.
Hearts looked bedraggled with their day summed up by the sending-off of Eggert Jonsson in the 74th minute for his second caution and by Mikoliunas thumping the post in the 85th minute.