Hearts 0 Rangers 2

By Jon West, PA Sport

Rangers capped a satisfying week with an assured performance and three points at the expense of Hearts.

Second-half goals from Ronald de Boer and Neil McCann earned a 2-0 win and the scoreline could have been much more damaging to the home side had not goalkeeper Antti Niemi not been in top form throughout.

Rangers arrived in Edinburgh buoyant after finally beating Celtic following five successive defeats but the champions' straightforward dismissal of Dunfermline earlier in the day meant the chances of catching their rivals by the end of the season were slimmer than ever.

Changes were needed following that Hampden Park encounter and goal hero Bert Konterman had to drop back from midfield to replace Craig Moore as Lorenzo Amoruso's central defensive partner.

Peter Lovenkrands, the other scorer, was replaced in the starting line-up by ex-Jambo McCann with Stephen Hughes given a start instead of Claudio Caniggia.

But it was a player Rangers had discarded that caught the eye the most in the opening 45 minutes.

Niemi has long been regarded as one if not the best goalkeeper in Scotland and the Finn denied his former employers on seven occasions.

After 15 minutes of not a lot Rangers bombarded his goal only to find him equal to the task.

First de Boer saw a header saved before Shota Arveladze suffered the same fate from two fierce drives, the first from well outside the box.

Captain Barry Ferguson tried his luck three times after that but all he got for his efforts was a parry that Tore Andre Flo put into the sidenetting from a difficult angle.

The best had been saved for last as McCann, sent free by a trademark Amoruso charge upfield, planted the ball onto the head of the diving Arveladze only for Niemi to divert the ball over the bar.

The home side, who recalled Kevin McKenna and Thomas Flogel in defence, had started brightly with Ricardo Fuller particularly lively.

But they had trouble finding the target with Fuller spurning two good chances and forcing Stefan Klos into a single save of not, low down at his near post.

Stevie Fulton and Tommi Grunlund also had a go but neither could hit the target before the break.

The game trundled on past the hour mark with little of note happening before de Boer broke the deadlock with a calm finish after the Hearts backline had been completely bamboozled.

The home side surrendered possession cheaply to allow Rangers to set up a move that saw McCann send in a low pass from the left. Flo cleverly stepped over it to allow it to reach the Dutchman, whose run into the box had not been picked up.

Niemi was soon busy again and twice denied Ferguson from long range. The second time came at the expense of a corner that saw Arveladze head wide at the back post.

McCann and the Georgian then passed up two simple chances within a few seconds of each other.

The winger had only Niemi to beat but could only fire weakly at him while Arveladze could not even hit the target from around the penalty spot as the Hearts defence watched helplessly.

McCann's atonement came with seven minutes remaining and was all his own work. Fuller had claimed Arthur Numan had impeded him in the Rangers penalty area but play continued and when the winger found himself with the ball at his feet Hearts were in trouble.

McCann skipped past Flogel to reach the box and there was nothing lacking in the powerful finish that beat Niemi.

Fernando Ricksen fancied a third but having ran all the way into the box to be first to a loose ball he spoiled all that effort by scuffing the ball wide from all of six yards.

A great week for Rangers manager Alex McLeish, whose appointment two months ago had been greeted in lukewarm fashion, saw the fans chanting his name at the end.

Teams

Hearts: Niemi, McKenna, Pressley, Severin, Flogel, Simmons (Kirk 59), Gronlund, Fulton, Mahe, Wales (Adam 59), Fuller.

Subs Not Used: McKenzie, Boyack, McMullan.

Booked: Wales, Simmons.

Rangers: Klos, Konterman, Amoruso, Numan, Ricksen, Ferguson, de Boer, Hughes, Arveladze, Flo, McCann.

Subs Not Used: McGregor, Dodds, Ross, Wilson, Lovenkrands.

Goals: de Boer 61, McCann 82.

Att: 14,128

Ref: H Dallas (Scotland).


Taken from sportinglife.com