RANGERS CUT TO THE CHASE AT IBROX
Gerrard’s men feast on early errors by Hearts and inflict first defeat on league leaders
CRAIG LEVEIN’s final words to Hearts before they left the away dressing room were drawn from an old book of managerial cliches. Keep it tight, lads. Get the fans on their backs.
‘This game today for me was about being solid, creating opportunities and taking them and putting pressure on Rangers,’ he admitted later. ‘We didn’t manage to get everything in the right order...’
It took just three minutes for Hearts’ plan to come unstuck.
A shambolic piece of defending gifted Rangers an easy first goal. Ten minutes later, left-back Demetri Mitchell was caught in possession by Daniel Candeias in his own penalty area, Alfredo Morelos subsequently claiming his 11th strike of the season with a stylish finish.
With little over half an hour played, James Tavernier’s overhit cross looked destined for the corner flag. Hearts gave it up for dead, but Morelos sniffed out the opportunity, nodding the ball back across goal for scott Arfield to make it 3-0 to Rangers.
And that was that. Just over 30 minutes played and the unbeaten run was over.
Oddly, Hearts didn’t actually play badly here. even before a second yellow card for Michael smith left the visitors to play the final 35 minutes with ten men, they carved out great chances.
They pulled a goal back through Jimmy Dunne eventually, leaving Levein to nurse a sense of deep regret. But for two awful early mistakes and more inspired goalkeeping from Allan McGregor, his team might have made a game of this.
For Rangers, this was another of those rousing, high-octane games of football the home support are beginning to revel in. A flawless continuation of the second 45 minutes against Rapid vienna.
Away from home, steven Gerrard’s team remain ropey and unconvincing. To be taken seriously as a genuine title force, that has to change quickly. Yet, backed by their own supporters, the attacking menace of Morelos, Candeias and opening scorer Ryan Kent can blow opponents away.
There’s no need for Hearts to panic yet. The league leaders remain two clear of Hibernian at the top of the Premiership.
And they can take solace in the fact they could easily have been 2-1 ahead but for McGregor’s heroics during a crazy opening 15 minutes.
nevertheless, this was the first of a critical passage of games for the Gorgie side. People will focus now on how they react to this thumping defeat. Three of their next four league games are against Hibs, Aberdeen and Celtic. Defender John souttar admitted the first 20 minutes killed Hearts, but he took comfort in the league table.
‘We just have to remember how well we have started the season,’ said souttar.
‘We go into the international break top of the league regardless of what happened today.
‘I think if you offered us that at the start of the season, we’d have bitten your hand off.
‘We just need to learn from what happened here.’
A solid start was always likely to be crucial. For the team in maroon, it couldn’t have been any worse.
There were three minutes on the scoreboard when Tavernier took a free-kick midway inside the Hearts half. The events which followed were like a ‘what happened next?’ on A Question of Sport.
Connor Goldson was clearly standing in an offside position. Critically, the Rangers defender was never interfering with play, trotting backwards as Morelos ran from an onside position past a static, dozing Hearts defence ignoring the oldest maxim in the book. Morelos played to the whistle. The visiting players didn’t.
The offside flag they craved never came, the Colombian rolling the ball to Kent, who slotted into an empty net for the opening goal.
‘It’s a plan that I’ve been involved in as a player and you normally do it at the very end of the game to surprise teams,’ revealed Gerrard.
‘Hearts got it wrong. Three were offside but Alfredo wasn’t and they got it wrong.
‘I have seen it used many times and my managers have used it at the end of games.
‘But you can’t criticise Craig Levein as he’s got his team top of the league. He’s been doing excellently and he’s a top manager.’
Give Levein’s Hearts this much. They travelled along the M8 to give it a go.
Uche Ikpeazu, steven MacLean and steven naismith all started in a three-man forward line and
Scotland striker Naismith could have levelled within a minute of Kent’s goal. McGregor blocked his point-blank effort with his legs and the value of the Rangers and Scotland keeper was reiterated two minutes later when the mountainous figure of Ikpeazu surged past Joe Worrall on the right touchline, powering a shot towards the top corner. Hearts didn’t look much like a team on the verge of implosion at that point. The opening minutes were Scottish football at its most raw and enjoyable. Mitchell won’t look back on his role in the second Rangers goal fondly. The on-loan full-back was robbed of possession on the edge of his area by the excellent Candeias. Glancing up, the Portuguese winger spotted Morelos racing into the six-yard box, weighting his low ball perfectly for the Colombian to score with a backheel flick into the top corner. The situation became irretrievable for Hearts when Rangers scored again after 32 minutes. Tavernier’s deep cross to the back post looked destined to go out of play. Morelos — such a big player these days — refused to give up the ghost. Arfield had the easy task of rolling the ball into the net. The first booking of a feisty encounter had been shown to Hearts right-back Smith on 14 minutes. When the defender impeded Jon Flanagan on the edge of his own area ten minutes into the second half, a second yellow card rendered the Hearts task hopeless.
The league leaders could have crumbled completely. To their credit, they stood up and competed.
Defender Dunne pulled a goal back in 67 minutes, glancing Olly Lee’s free-kick into the net for 3-1.
Had Arnaud Djoum scored with a fine shooting chance saved by McGregor ten minutes from time, the game could have finished in a rousing fashion. More rousing, certainly, than anyone thought likely after half an hour.
RANGERS (4-5-1): McGregor 7; Tavernier 7, Worrall 7, Goldson 7, Flanagan 7; Ejaria 6 (Jack 66), Coulibaly 6, Arfield 7 (Halliday 83), Candeias 7 (Lafferty 87), Kent 8; Morelos 7.
Subs not used: Foderingham, Jack, McCrorie, Katic, Middleton. Booked: Worrall, Arfield.
HEARTS (4-3-3): Zlamal 7; Smith 4, Dunne 5, Souttar 5, Mitchell 4 (Wighton 79); Haring 6, Lee 5 (Garuccio 72), Djoum 6; Naismith 6, MacLean 4 (Dikamona 57), Ikpeazu 7.
Subs not used: Doyle, Bozanic, Amankwaa, Morrison. Booked: Mitchell, Smith, Dunne. Sent off: Smith. Man of the match: Ryan Kent. Referee: John Beaton. Attendance: 49,865.