Rangers wins against hearts and goes to top

• Rangers rose to the top of the Scottish Premiership after beating Hearts at Tynecastle.
• Rangers moved one point clear of Celtic, who play Motherwell later on Saturday.

Rangers cruised to win, capped by goals from substitute Alfredo Morelos and Ryan Kent – his first goal since March – in the final minutes.

Rangers rose to the top of the Scottish Premiership after a hammering of 10-man Hearts.

The visitors’ energetic start was rewarded with an Antonio Colak double, before Cammy Devlin’s foolish lunge on Rabbi Matondo earned a first-half red card.

Rangers are one point ahead of Celtic, who play Motherwell later on Saturday.

Hearts are still third, six points behind Rangers, after their perfect league record at Tynecastle was shattered this season.

Robbie Neilson backed up his audacious commitment to take the game to Rangers by starting on-loan Wigan attacker Stephen Humphrys in an attacking lineup.

Despite a bright start, Hearts couldn’t cope with Rangers’ speed and incision at the other end. Within 40 minutes, Ibrox were two goals and a man up, and Neilson’s gameplan was gone.

Devlin’s needless dismissal effectively killed any prospects of a comeback, swooping in to plant his studs on Matondo’s ankle as the Rangers winger guarded the ball from Alex Cochrane on the touchline. Devlin takes pleasure in his combative play, but this was just idiocy.

Colak, who is once again favoured over Morelos, is proving why he is Rangers’ first-choice striker. The Croat had only four touches and two shots in the Hearts box. Both ended up in the net, bringing his season total to 11 goals in 14 games.

Colak had to leap to meet Kent’s superb whipped cross and redirect a header in off the post for the early lead.

Scott Arfield squandered a clear chance, steering wide from 10 yards, but the second goal came quickly. Matondo sprinted in from the right touchline and threaded a pass for Colak to beat Craig Gordon from a tight angle after John Lundstram’s sweeping pass.

Hearts were spared additional first-half punishment as Arfield’s goal was ruled out for a questionable foul by Matondo on Gordon.

Hearts used the expulsion to practise damage control. Both teams made a double substitution at halftime, maybe in anticipation of upcoming European play this week. Hearts supporters will be hoping that the withdrawals of Barrie McKay and Stephen Kingsley were only precautionary.

While Rangers’ intensity waned, they had plenty of chances to extend their lead, and Gordon was finally beaten for the third time when James Tavernier set up Morelos to score.

And Kent capped off a dominant Rangers display with the best goal of the night, curling into the bottom corner.

Man of the match – Antonio Colak

Rangers wide man cause havoc – analysis

Rangers’ tactics at Tynecastle relied heavily on wingers Kent and Matondo, as the visitors put forth one of their greatest performances of the season.

Both stayed high and wide, allowing the Rangers to break quickly with direct passes to the sides. The first two goals were similar, with Kent providing for Colak and Matondo helping the striker’s second.

After only one win in their first three Premier League away visits, Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side responded with a thumping victory before facing a formidable Champions League battle at Anfield.

Hearts, for their part, hadn’t done much wrong but still found themselves behind by two goals early on.

They attacked Rangers early on, fizzing in deliveries from dangerous places, but were unable to put Allan McGregor to the test. The hosts’ only shot on goal came from Humphrys, who was smothered by the Rangers goalkeeper.

Neilson’s makeshift backline was severely exposed, with Craig Halkett still missing, and Devlin horribly let his team down with the red card.

What they said

Hearts manager Robbie Neilson: “The red card has a huge bearing on the outcome. Silly decision to go in for the tackle in that area. Cammy has been outstanding for us since day one. He plays on the edge, he’s still a young kid will learn from today.

“Prior to that, despite losing two goals, we were in the game and creating chances. I felt our final moment wasn’t quite there today.”

Rangers manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst: “We started really well and the first two goals made it easier for us. After the red card we controlled the game and scored two more.

“Really happy with the three points, four goals, and clean sheet. Colak’s performance was really good and it’s also positive that Alfredo Morelos and Ryan Kent scored because we need goals from all over the team.”

What’s next?

In midweek, both teams will shift their attention to Europe. Hearts meet Fiorentina in the Europa Conference at Tynecastle on Thursday (20:00 BST), followed by a league trip to Kilmarnock the following Sunday (15:00).

Rangers begin their Champions League campaign against Liverpool at Anfield on Tuesday (20:00), before hosting St Mirren in the Premiership the following Saturday (15:00).

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