RANGERS moved back to within nine points of leaders Celtic and Aberdeen in the William Hill Premiership table with a narrow 1-0 victory over Hearts at Ibrox this evening – but their laboured performance did little to convince their followers they are capable of catching the top two in the months ahead.
A close-range Cyriel Dessers strike in the sixth minute was all that separated the two teams at the end of the 90 minutes and the home supporters in the 48,254-strong crowd voiced their displeasure about what they had witnessed at the end.
Neil Critchley’s men had Philippe Clement’s charges on the back foot for long periods of the league encounter and if they had returned home down the M8 with a point it would by no means have flattered them. They hit the post and kept Jack Butland on his toes throughout.
Here are five talking points from the match in Govan tonight.
Tavernier’s back
There were few among the Rangers support who protested when their captain James Tavernier was omitted from the starting line-up in Athens on Thursday night and Dujon Sterling deployed at right-back.
The Ibrox skipper has, as was very much the case towards the tail end of last term, been far from his best in recent weeks. However, the 33-year-old was restored to his usual berth this evening and had a hand in the opening goal.
He ghosted into the Hearts penalty box, got on the end of a Nedim Bajrami pass and rifled a shot at Craig Gordon. Dessers turned it in from just a few yards out to break the deadlock.
The skipper also made some important blocks and clearances at the back as the visitors pushed hard for an equaliser. He was certainly alert to the danger when James Penrice floated a cross in to the edge of his area. He got to the ball first and headed to safety.
The criticism of the defender has been harsh given how much is asked of him in both defence and attack and the number of matches he starts in. Perhaps removing him from the front line more often will ensure less dips of form going forward. That said, there remains room for improvement.
Dessers match winner
Nigerian striker Dessers silenced a few of his critics against Olympiacos on Thursday night when he lashed in a second half equaliser which earned Rangers a hard-fought draw and put the Ibrox club within touching distance of the Europa League knockout rounds.
The former Feyenoord man will not have scored many easier goals than the one he bagged this evening. Still, he was in the right place at the right time. The much-maligned player took his tally for the 2024/25 campaign to 10. It was, too, his third in as many outings. He ultimately clinched the three points.
Flat Rangers
Rangers winger Vaclav Cerny forced a save from Gordon after a defence-splitting through ball from Connor Barron had put him clean through in the first half and Bajrami also fired over from distance.
But Hearts striker Kenneth Vargas was denied by Jack Butland when he pinched possession off of John Souttar and the same player then clattered the right post after beating the goalkeeper with a shot.
But neither side could find a way through their opponents after the early opener. This was a closely contested and occasionally cagey encounter between two evenly matched teams.
Rangers' subdued display could possibly be attributed to their midweek exertions. But Hearts had also been in Conference League action against Heidenheim. So there could be no excuse.
When Clement replaced Barron with Neraysho Kasanwirjo in the second half there was uproar in the stands. Kasanwirjo hit the underside of the crossbar in the final minute of regulation time after being picked out by Danilo. But it was an isolated highlight.
The Belgian coach will have been a relieved man when referee Matthew MacDermid blew his whistle.
Shankland drought continues
Steve Clarke stressed that he had no concerns about Lawrence Shankland’s struggles up front this term when he named the Hearts captain in his Scotland squad for the Nations League double header against Croatia and Poland this week.
The 15-times capped 29-year-old was forced to withdraw from the last camp due to an injury. But Clarke intends to speak to the out-of-sorts forward about his form in the coming days. “I'll have a good chat with him this time and tell him that I still love him,” he said.
It will need to be a good pep talk. Shankland had netted just once in 17 appearances going into the match in Govan this evening. He received little in the way of decent service and once again drew a blank.
He did, however, well to tee up Vargas with a free shot his team mate should have done better with in the first minute of the second half and worked tirelessly throughout.
With Torino striker Che Adams sitting out the Turin derby against Juventus yesterday, the Hearts man could well be called upon in the Group A1 outings at Hampden on Friday night and in Warsaw the following Monday. He has, then, to get his mojo back quickly.
Hearts hope
Hearts remain just a point above bottom-placed Hibernian in the Premiership table after this narrow loss. They can, though, go into the international break with high hopes their fortunes will improve when they return to action against Celtic at Tynecastle on Saturday week.
Few teams compete as well as they did at Ibrox or create as many scoring opportunities in the final third. They had their hosts rattled at times. Not least when substitute Beni Bainigime went close. If they can sharpen up in the final third then the victories will come and they will move away from the relegation zone.
