Levein: ‘Without those errors, we could have won’

Hearts manager Craig Levein believes his team wasted a glorious opportunity to win at Ibrox by “gifting” goals to Rangers.

Levein’s players were punished when their attempt to catch Rangers offside at an early free-kick backfired, allowing Ryan Kent to put the home side in front, before Demetri Mitchell’s mistake led to Alfredo Morelos doubling the lead.

While Levein was gratified by the manner in which Hearts stuck to their task when down to ten men in the second half, his overriding emotion was one of frustration. “It’s disappointing because I felt we had a real chance of picking up three points today,” said the frustrated manager, pictured.

“I thought our play was good enough to pick up all three points if we hadn’t gifted goals to Rangers. If Rangers had 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.

“We slipped up today. We gave them two goals and I’d like to see what it would have been like if we didn’t do that, if the game had gone a different way.

“I feel we were in the game even with ten men and it’s frustrating to come here and feel we could have done so much better.

“We just got it wrong at Rangers’ first goal. 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’d like that game again because I think it would have been a different outcome. “We had as good chances today as I’ve ever had coming to Ibrox. Allan Mcgregor’s had a couple of fantastic saves. I don’t for a second agree that Rangers were the better team. I think the stats would say the same. Possession, there wasn’t much in it, and we had 40 minutes with ten men. Chances, there was nothing much in it. Shots on target I think was six to four. We shot ourselves in the foot today and gave Rangers the impetus they needed early on.”

2 Alfredo Morelos heads off for a knee-slide celebration after doubling Rangers’ lead on 13 minutes. Below left, Ryan Kent taps the ball into the net for an early opener after the Hearts team raced out en masse at a free-kick, claiming – in vain – for an offside decision. Below right, Scott Arfield enjoys making it 3-0 to the hosts before half-time. Inset left, Hearts’ Steven Naismith troops off at full-time after tasting defeat for the first time this season.