Kyosuke Tagawa netted a dramatic equaliser at the death as Hearts brought the curtain down on the 2023/24 season in a 3-3 draw with Rangers.
Lawrence Shankland had Hearts in the lead at half-time with a chipped finish over Jack Butland, before goals from Ross McCausland, Todd Cantwell, and Fabio Silva put Rangers in control.
It looked as though the Glasgow side were heading for the win, but two late goals from Dexter Lembikisa and Kyosuke Tagawa ensured the Jambos ended the season on a high note.
Steven Naismith made eight changes from the side that drew in Paisley midweek. Zander Clark, Frankie Kent, Stephen Kingsley, Beni Baningime, Lawrence Shankland, Yutaro Oda, Barrie McKay and Kenneth Vargas all returned to the starting 11.
Rangers enjoyed the lion’s share of possession in the opening stages, with Hearts crafting their first chance after eight minutes when Yutaro Oda sent a ranged effort past Jack Butland’s post with a series of chances to come.
Zander Clark had to be alert to halt a promising Rangers move as Ross McCausland and Cyriel Dessers combined to force through on goal, with the Hearts ‘keeper getting down in time to halt the Rangers advance.
Despite weathering a storm for much of the first half, Hearts exploded into life just after the half-hour mark when Lawrence Shankland bagged his 31st goal of the season in maroon. Yutaro Oda got the ball in space before threading a sumptuous ball across to Shankland.
With Kenneth Vargas acting as a decoy, Shankland was able to go for goal, lifting the ball over Jack Butland to hand Hearts a valuable lead.
HT: Hearts 1-0 Rangers
Buoyed after the break, Rangers emerged and soon found themselves back on level terms after 51 minutes. McCausland found himself in space 25-yards from goal before he sent a vicious strike in off the post.
This was followed by another ranged finish from Todd Cantwell on 69 minutes, before Fabio Silva scored from close range to make it 3-1.
Two late goals from Dexter Lembikisa, and a delightful volley from Kyosuke Tagawa, brought the curtain down in style on the 23/24 campaign.
Hearts: Clark, Kent, Kingsley, Baningime, Shankland, Oda, Devlin, Rowles, McKay (Fraser 62’), Cochrane, Vargas
Subs: Gordon, Grant, Boyce, Forrest, Denholm, Fraser, Tagawa, Wilson, Lembikisa
Rangers: Butland, Tavernier, Dessers, Cantwell, Wright (Silva 58’), Davies, King, Diomande (Dowell 58’), Raskin, McCausland, Fraser (Yilmaz 58’)
Subs: McCrorie, Yilmaz, Silva, Jack, Sima, Dowell, Sterling, Yfeko, McKinnon
