Nightmare on Edmiston St as champions draw
Stuttering striker and a captain conundrum conspire as humdrum Hearts profit at Ibrox
HALLOWEEN is still a fortnight away, but Rangers warmed up for the occasion against Hearts at Ibrox on Saturday by putting on their very own Jekyll and Hyde horror show.
Steven Gerrard’s men performed about as well as they have all season after kick-off in the top-of-the-table cinch Premiership match and deservedly took the lead through John Lundstram in the first half.
However, they could not capitalise on their dominance and when their goalkeeper, Allan McGregor, failed to punch a Gary Mackay-Steven corner clear in the final minute of regulation time, Craig Halkett was gifted an equaliser.
So what did we learn from events in Govan? Can Robbie Neilson take confidence from the draw? What is Gerrard to make of it all? Here are five talking points to arise out of the encounter.
Misfiring Morelos
Alfredo Morelos secured a hard-fought and important win over high-flying Hibernian in Rangers’ final game before the international break this month with a late headed goal.
He had not one but two chances to sew up all three points for the Scottish champions against Hearts in the closing stages and failed to convert either of them. His second miss would have made Peter van Vossen blush.
The South American striker has always blown hot and cold. He has streaks when everything he touches goes in, he has barren runs when he could not buy a goal for all the pesos in Colombia. So his weekend display was not entirely out of character.
It would not be unlike “El Bufalo” to bag a double in the Europa League encounter with Brondby in Glasgow on Thursday evening.
Gerrard certainly needs his mercurial front man to find form soon if his charges are to avoid more dropped points. The forward has netted five times in 15 appearances in the 2021/22 campaign. It is a fair return, but he can do far better.
Morelos was by no means the only sinner against Hearts.
Rangers cut their rivals open at the back repeatedly and would have cruised to a comfortable triumph if Ianis Hagi, Scott Wright, Leon Balogun, Kemar Roofe and Connor Goldson had been more clinical in the final third.
But the 25-year-old is in the team to score goals and if he is not doing that on a regular basis then Rangers run the risk of suffering more results like the one at the weekend.
Subs must step up
Hearts fought back to earn a point and maintain their unbeaten league record after switching from a back four to a back three and committing more men forward in the second half.
Still, there was a noticeable dip in Rangers’ performance levels when Wright, Joe Aribo and Hagi went off and Juninho Bacuna, Steven Davis and Roofe came on.
Yes, Craig Gordon denied both Goldson and Roofe and Morelos fired wide from a few yards out. But the home side allowed the visitors to carve out several scoring chances too. They had McGregor to thank for keeping them on level terms. Until, that is, his late howler.
Gerrard, who is missing key first-team players Filip Helander, Ryan Jack and Ryan Kent, needs his substitutes to apply pressure to those in the first team for his men to perform consistently. At the moment, that is just not happening.
Flat Tavernier
Tavernier was anonymous against Hearts. Perhaps he had been told to play defensively
Gerrard dropped Rangers captain James Tavernier for the league meeting with Hibs following a string of underwhelming performances and handed Nathan Patterson a start at right-back.
He must have hoped that being left out of the first team for such a big game would have provoked a positive reaction and helped his countryman rediscover the form that saw him crowned PFA Scotland Player of the Year last term.
But his skipper was anonymous against Hearts. Perhaps he had been told to play more defensively against undefeated rivals who fielded Alex Cochrane and Ben Woodburn on the left flank. Once again, though, he did not look his normal self.
Patterson was brilliant for Scotland in the second half of their victory over Israel and set up a late winner after he came on against the Faroe Islands. His manager has a big decision to make on who to field against Brondby.
Hearts must do better
The Tynecastle club extended their unbeaten run in the Premiership to nine games in Govan and remain just a point behind the defending champions as a result.
It has been a hugely impressive start from a team who are in their first season back in the top flight.
But the Championship champions must perform better, far far better, than they did on Saturday if they are to challenge for the Scottish title in the months ahead.
McGregor went untested for the opening hour of this match. His side would have wrapped up the three points comfortably had it not been for his opposite number Gordon.
Perhaps Neilson should rethink his 3-4-3 formation. It has worked well for them to date. But Hearts were much improved when they changed to a back four and offered far more in the final third.
Fantastic fans
Away supporters were welcomed in to Ibrox for the first time in 18 months on Saturday. It is fair to say the Hearts fans enjoyed the experience. They were still lauding Halkett’s last-minute equaliser long after the final whistle.
Their presence inside the stadium created a fabulous atmosphere and was another indication that the world is slowly but surely returning to some sort of normality amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
“The fans were brilliant,” said Hearts defender Stephen Kingsley. “It is just a little corner that we have got. But you could hear them throughout the game. Even on top of the noise the home crowd make, which is deafening sometimes.
“Having the fans in that corner, scoring the goal there and getting to celebrate with them was great.”