Hearts beat Rangers to edge closer to title

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Hearts 2 - 1 Celtic

A raucous Hearts crowd inspires players to put them on the brink of history

Author | Mark Lee

Stadium | Tynecastle

A goal from club captain Lawrence Shankland thundered the home side to a huge victory over Rangers as the Scottish Premiership leaders restored their three-point advantage at the top and all but ended the Ibrox side's title hopes.

Derek McInnes' side lead Celtic by three points with three games to play. Rangers are noe now seven points off the top, surely now ending their own title hopes. 

How a dramatic afternoon unfolded

Pre match atmosphere

Dujon Sterling's volley deflected off Michael Steinwender and looped over Alexander Schwolow to give Rangers the lead during a first half in which they controlled play.

One fan even text into the BBC saying: "This is some performance so far from Rangers. Hearts look clueless."

In the second half, Stephen Kingsley levelled on the rebound after Alexandros Kyziridis' shot had come off a post and it was Kingsley's deflected cross that was superbly converted by Shankland for the winner.

At the final whistle, fans were nearly in tears. They are three wins away from doing something that very few people thought was possible. What a day and what an atmosphere at this historic old stadium.

Watch | Final whistle scenes

The key player for Hearts

The most compelling Scottish Premiership title race in a generation ensured Monday’s Bank Holiday encounter at Tynecastle carried a sense of volatility and consequence from the outset.

From open play, Rangers were slick and purposeful in transition, at least until Hearts struck. Danny Röhl’s side failed to capitalise on promising openings early on and found opportunities increasingly scarce as the contest wore on.

Hearts, by contrast, emerged with greater intent after the interval, growing into the game as they began to exploit space and create overloads with increasing regularity.

If a decisive moment was to arrive, it felt destined to come from a player accustomed to the occasion. Lawrence Shankland duly obliged.

The Scotland forward had already made his mark against Rangers this season, scoring twice in a 2-0 win at Ibrox in September and netting the decisive goal in a 2-1 victory at Tynecastle in December.

Absent through injury when Hearts were beaten 4-2 in Glasgow in February, he atoned emphatically here, his latest intervention bringing a 19th goal of the season for club and country, with Steve Clarke watching from the stands.

Now, with three matches remaining, Hearts stand on the brink of history, closing in on a first top-flight title in 66 years.

Location: Tynecastle Park, McLeod St, Edinburgh EH11 2NL, UK

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