A spirited Hearts performance ended in defeat as Rangers ran out 3-1 victors at Tynecastle on Sunday afternoon.
Neil Critchley made three changes from the side that started in Paisley on Monday night as Jorge Grant, Michael Steinwender and James Wilson came into the side with Alan Forrest, Lewis Neilson and Cammy Devlin.
It was an attacking lineup from Critchley but it was Rangers who started the brighter and they thought they’d opened the scoring inside two minutes, when a clever corner kick routine saw Ianis Hagi cross for John Souttar, he turned the ball home at the back post but was denied by the long arm of the linesman.
Hearts’ first opening of the match came five minutes later. Blair Spittal delivered a dangerous free kick for Elton Kabangu, but the striker couldn’t keep his header down and it flew over Jack Butland’s goal.
The men in maroon must’ve thought they'd opened the scoring when Blair Spittal pulled the ball back for Elton Kabangu, but his shot was brilliantly stopped by Jack Butland, after James Wilson had nicked possession from Hagi in a dangerous area.
Hearts were punished for that missed opportunity just seconds later as Rangers attacked down the left with the ball ricocheting off the unfortunate Jamie McCart and finding the net.
The Jambos didn’t let that setback faze them however and they should’ve equalised straight away. A perfectly weighted through ball from Wilson picked out Kabangu, but once again, he was denied by Butland.
The chances kept coming for Hearts and again Butland denied Kabangu from an acute angle on 22 minutes, after the striker had been picked out by Spittal.
Lawrence Shankland was next to test the Rangers stopper and after Wilson had pinned Nsiala and nodded the ball down to the skipper, his ferocious volley was tipped over the bar by Butland just after the half hour mark.
The Jambos had expended a lot of energy in the first 45 and Rangers looked to be finishing the first half the stronger of the two sides with Gordon called into action to keep them out. Firstly, denying Nico Raskin’s low strike, before getting a strong hand to keep out Václav Černý’s powerful effort from the edge of the area. The pick of the saves arrived in the final minute of normal time as the Scot leapt to his left to beat away a well-struck effort from Raskin.
Half-time: Rangers 1-0 Hearts
The Jambos would’ve felt aggrieved to have been behind at the interval, but they were back on level terms just four minutes into the second half as James Penrice’s corner was met by Steinwender, who headed the ball into the bottom corner to mark his home debut with a goal.
The visitors almost went back in front on the hour mark as Černý whistled a curling right-foot effort just wide of the far post, but the Gers did regain their advantage just a minute later as an excellent block from Adam Forrester saw the ball drop to Černý, who made no mistake this time and curled home past Gordon.
The Jambos nearly equalised for the second time on 69 minutes as Spittal’s deep corner was met by McCart, but his back post header was held by Butland.
Sander Kartum was introduced for his Tynecastle debut, and he was straight into the action, slipping in Kabangu, but Butland again denied him.
The Jambos pushed for an equaliser, which left them vulnerable for a counter attack and when Rangers substitute Cyriel Dessers latched on to a ball over the top, McCart was frantically trying to get back with the last touch coming off the defender and l ooping over Gordon into the empty net.
Hearts continued to create chances but they couldn’t beat Butland for a second time as Rangers held on to take all three points.
Hearts: Gordon, Baningime, Grant (Nieuwenhof, 69), Shankland ©, Steinwender (Neilson, 71), Spittal (Kartum, 69), Kabangu (Drammeh, 80), Wilson (Vargas, 80), Penrice, McCart, Forrester
Subs: Clark, Nieuwenhof, Forrest, Milne, Neilson, Kartum, Drammeh, Vargas, Taylor
Rangers: Butland, Tavernier ©, Souttar, Diomande, Lawrence (Dessers, 70), Černý, Nsiala, Jefté, Igamane, Hagi, Raskin
Subs: Kelly, Yilmaz, Propper, Dessers, Bajrami, Fernandes, King, Rice, Curtis
