Levein targets rematch after costly slip-ups

CRAIG LEVEIN claims Hearts blew a golden opportunity to strengthen their lead at the top of the Premiership by shooting themselves in the foot.

Wretched defensive mistakes gifted Rangers two goals in the opening 13 minutes as a 3-1 defeat at Ibrox consigned the Tynecastle side to their first league reverse of the season.

A flawed offside trap allowed Ryan Kent to open the scoring, with Alfredo Morelos finishing the second after full-back Demetri Mitchell lost the ball to Daniel Candeias in his own area.

Scott Arfield’s tap in after 32 minutes left the visitors with a mountain to climb, playing the final 35 minutes with ten men after a red card for right-back Michael Smith.

Jimmy Dunne pulled back a consolation goal and Levein admitted he would love another crack at Rangers this weekend.

‘I feel quite mixed, to be honest,’ he said. ‘Obviously I’m proud of the players, the way they knuckled down and went for the whole 90 minutes and didn’t give up.

‘They kept pushing, kept trying their best to play and create chances. On the other hand I’m disappointed we gifted Rangers goals early in the match and didn’t score when we had gilt-edged opportunities. I’m quite happy with some things, not so with others.’

Uche Ikpeazu’s failure to play Morelos offside gifted Rangers a dream start. Admitting that wasn’t part of the script, a rueful Levein said: ‘You could say that. We just got it wrong. We’ve worked that particular situation quite well in the past so you have to take it on the chin.

‘One player didn’t come out. For me, it’s a gift. I thought if we didn’t gift Rangers the first two goals I think the stats say we were in the game. That included 30 or 40 minutes with ten men. I’d like that game again, in all honesty, because I think it would have been a different outcome.

‘Listen, we made a mistake and that’s what happens. You look at every goal that is scored, if you trace it back far enough someone has made a mistake somewhere.

‘It’s disappointing because today I felt we had a real chance of picking up three points.

‘I thought our play was good enough to pick up all three points if we hadn’t gifted goals to Rangers. If Rangers had to work for their goals that would have been slightly different.

‘That’s disappointing for me and in the dressing room the players are exactly the same. They know themselves it was a missed opportunity. We’re keen to play Rangers again just to prove that.’

The Hearts boss offered no complaint over a second yellow card for right-back Michael Smith in 55 minutes.

Ironically, the visitors scored their only goal with ten men after Rangers keeper Allan McGregor denied both Ikpeazu and Steven Naismith inside the opening eight minutes.

‘I think we had as good chances today as I have ever had, coming to Ibrox,’ Levein added. ‘McGregor has made a couple of fantastic saves.

‘We shot ourselves in the foot today and gave Rangers the impetus they needed early on in the match.

‘Once we scored and got back to 3-1 you saw how nervous they were, they had the extra man and just punted it long.

‘I just wish we’d had the extra man on the field for those last 20 minutes or so.’

Reminded Hearts remain two points clear of Hibs at the top of the Premiership heading into this week’s international break, Levein grinned: ‘Oh I haven’t forgotten that.

‘I have to be quite rounded on the whole thing and look at the way the players have started and the effort they put in today.’