Rangers 2 Hearts 1

Chris Burke scored the winner for Rangers after Shota Arveladze cancelled out Andy Kirk's 11th-minute opener for Hearts.

Arveladze and Mikel Arteta replaced Paolo Vanoli and Nuno Capucho in the Rangers team for the game against Hearts.

Steven Pressley and Steven Boyack were injured for Hearts, with Mark de Vries only able to start on the bench.

Andy Webster and Alan Maybury were both suspended. Robert Sloan was given a start, as were Kevin McKenna, Robbie Neilson and Austin McCann.

Rangers attacked from the start with Michael Mols firing just wide in the second minute following good work from Chris Burke.

The visitors almost took a shock lead shortly afterwards when Fernando Ricksen gave away possession just outside the area, allowing Andy Kirk to get a shot on target, fortunately Stefan Klos was in a good position to make a comfortable save.

However, Hearts did break the deadlock after 11 minutes when the Rangers defence failed to clear a corner and Kirk stabbed the ball home from eight yards to register Hearts' 7,000th goal of all time.

Rangers almost hit back immediately when Mols latched onto a Ricksen cross with a bicycle kick, but the Dutchman saw his acrobatic effort sail onto the roof of the net.

But Alex McLeish's side drew after 22 minutes when Craig Gordon made a brilliant stop to deny Mols, but the ball ballooned off his body and Shota Arveladze was on hand to head home and make it 1-1.

The home side almost took the lead shortly afterwards when Peter Lovenkrands volleyed the ball goalwards from just inside the area, but Gordon produced a stunning save to keep matters level.

Klos was then called upon to deny Robert Sloan inside the area after the striker beat the offside trap.

Gordon was the hero again at the other end in the 44th minute when he parried a diving header from Arveladze and Lovenkrands' follow-up effort flashed across goal and just past the far post.

Neither side made a change at the break.

Severin made a crucial block in front of goal after Arveladze had set Mols up.

But the home side were not to be denied as Burke fired Rangers ahead in the 52nd minute after Lovenkrands had sent Mols away down the inside left channel and, with Severin trailing, the Dutchman's square ball across the box was easily converted by the little winger.

The outstanding Burke then set-up Arveladze inside the area, but with all the goal to aim at, he fired wastefully wide.

Rangers were again indebted to Klos when he tipped a McKenna header from a Neil Macfarlane cross round his right-hand post to stop it looping into the top corner.

Kisnorbo was booked in the 66th minute for an obvious tug on Lovenkrands 25 yards in front of goal.

Arteta beat the wall with the free-kick but Gordon dived to save low down to his right and with that, Rangers saw out the rest of the match with relative ease.