Hearts extended their lead at the top of the Scottish Premiership to 12 points over Rangers with a commanding 2-1 victory at Tynecastle on Sunday. The result ended Rangers manager Danny Rohl's eight-game unbeaten league run and marked a historic achievement for Hearts — defeating both Old Firm teams home and away for the first time since their last title-winning season in 1959-60.
Stuart Findlay and Lawrence Shankland scored within four first-half minutes to secure the crucial win. Youssef Chermiti netted a late consolation for Rangers, but the damage was done. Hearts now sit six points clear of second-placed Celtic, who have a game in hand, positioning Derek McInnes's side as genuine title contenders halfway through the season.
Rangers had an early goal from Bojan Miovski disallowed by VAR for offside. The visitors looked competitive until Hearts struck twice before the interval. Goalkeeper Jack Butland was involved in both goals — a slack pass led to the corner from which Findlay scored, and he failed to stop Shankland's strike from a tight angle at the near post.
Title race wide open
The victory represents Hearts' fourth consecutive league win over the Old Firm this term. No team had achieved that feat since 1985. The Tynecastle crowd sang «We shall not be moved» as their team demonstrated the composure required for a sustained title challenge.
Sky Sports pundit Kris Boyd, a Rangers icon, declared his former club's championship hopes over. «This Hearts team is here. They have arrived, they are going to go all the way,» Boyd said. «Rangers are out of it, they are finished now, they can forget it. Twelve points is too much for them to claw back.»
McInnes urges improvement despite dominance
Despite the positive result, Hearts manager Derek McInnes insisted his team must continue improving. «We need to get stronger,» McInnes said. «The performances need to improve. As the games go on, each games will become, well, hopefully they'll become bigger than the last one. I want us to be relevant. I don't want us just to see out a season and think of what could have been.»
McInnes defended his team's position at the summit. «I keep hearing about how poor other teams are. But our points tally is exactly where it should be for a team who are top of the league,» he said. «People seem to think that Hearts are only top of the league because of the failings of others. We're just concentrating on ourselves.»
The Hearts boss emphasized the need for smart recruitment in January. «We need to come out of January stronger again,» he said. «But the players and myself, we all need to get better as the season goes along.»
Rohl laments costly four minutes
Rangers manager Danny Rohl attributed the defeat to a brief spell before half-time. «Until the 1-0, we were better,» Rohl said. «We were unlucky with the tight offside decision. But then came the four minutes, it cost us something here today. It is tough to accept.»
Rohl refused to blame Butland for the goals. «If you make a mistake in a No.10 position, centre-forward, winger position, the consequence is not so huge,» he said. «If you make it in the last line, or by the goalkeeper's decision-making, then there's a big impact. He gives us a lot of points.»
The German manager acknowledged the setback to Rangers' ambitions. «We missed a big opportunity today, this is hard to take,» Rohl said. «I spoke about steps. Today it was more a side-step than a step forward.»
Former Rangers players were scathing in their assessment. Kris Boyd highlighted that Hearts' two centre-backs — Craig Halkett and Stuart Findlay — have scored seven goals this season, matching Rangers' entire front three of Danilo, Miovski and Chermiti. «That highlights the problem,» Boyd said on Sky Sports.
Paul Hartley echoed the concerns. «I don't think they've got enough creativity in their team,» the former Hearts midfielder said. «From middle to front, they've not got players that can create something or break the lines.»
Hearts travel to Easter Road for the Edinburgh derby on Saturday, marking the halfway point of the Premiership season. Rangers face crucial upcoming fixtures against Motherwell, Celtic, St Mirren and Aberdeen in the next three weeks.
Note: This article was created with Artificial Intelligence (AI).
