NEVER has an SPL game ended in such chaotic scenes

A controversial injury-time penalty from skipper Fernando Ricksen - awarded by referee Hugh Dallas after assistant Andy Davis had flagged for a foul - saw Alex McLeish's side scramble three crucial points in a 2-1 win over unlucky Hearts.

Dado Prso and Saulius Mikoliunas were sent off in the late melee, the Lithuanian for a shocking and indefensible barge on match official Davis, the Croat for a stupid second yellow after an altercation with Hearts keeper Craig Gordon.

But victory belonged to Rangers and when the dust settled today the significance of this result was lost on no-one at Ibrox.

This game had been viewed as a massive hurdle in their quest to take the championship back from Celtic. The fact Rangers stumbled home didn't bother McLeish - quite simply, at this stage of the season points help make prizes.

The crucial three-game run against Hibs, Celtic and Hearts has been negotiated, and with a maximum return. Now Gers can exert massive pressure on Celtic if they beat Inverness Caley Thistle at Ibrox this weekend.

That would send the champions out at Easter Road on Sunday nine points behind, with three away games in hand.

So, for all the furore - and the ramifications will run for some time, especially for Mikoliunas - McLeish was left delighted a win had been pulled from the fire.

This was far from convincing from Rangers, and when they allowed a slender one-goal lead to be lost with only minutes left, it looked as though telling damage was about to be inflicted on their title dreams.

But as McLeish said: "It was certainly very dramatic, but the bottom line is we won the game and it's a great three points gained.

"Will last night be significant? You'll know that come the end of the season, but there is a big race on for this title and there are two good teams who can win it.

"We have got to keep on winning. That's why I was so pleased to see the spirit of the players - they went right to the end."

McLEISH admitted there had been some hairy moments in the first half before his side finally hit the target shortly after the restart.

"We needed to turn the screw by taking some of the very decent opportunities we had. If we had done that, then the late free-kick Hearts equalised from would have been inconsequential," he added.

"A draw might have been fair. But we are delighted to have won."

All sympathy on the night was for Hearts. They had battered into Rangers from first whistle and should have been ahead at the interval, had it not been for some slack finishing and wonderful goalkeeping from Ronald Waterreus.

In truth, Rangers were a disjointed bunch in the first period. There was no cohesion, and midfield was missed out completely.

Every second ball was Hearts' and Gordon didn't have much to deal with as long balls from the back found no success.

Prso was the only danger, his strong running at least a menace, but the words of McLeish at half-time had to be sharp to wake his players from their slumber.

They worked. Within minutes of the re-start, Rangers were ahead with a wonderful sweeping move.

Marvin Andrews sent the ball forward to Prso and he turned well before feeding Novo with an incisive pass behind Jambos' defence.

As Gordon raced out, the Spanaird picked his spot low into the bottom corner for his 23rd strike of a fine season.

The goal fuelled confidence through Rangers' ranks, and their touch was now more assured, the range of passing accurate.

Chances were made, but squandered, and when Christope Berra cleared Prso's lobbed effort off the line with nine minutes to go, a sting in the tail was still very much a possiblity.

And, ironically, it was inflicted by an old foe. Former Celtic striker Mark Burchill was thrown on as John Robertson tried to pick Rangers' pockets.

With only two minutes to go, Soti Kyrgiakos was adjudged to have fouled Lee Miller. Paul Hartley stepped up to bend a free-kick around the wall. Waterreus appeared to help it onto a post, but the loose ball broke kindly for Burchill to prod home.

The look on the faces of McLeish and his players said it all. The title is on a high-wire, and Rangers had stumbled big time.

But they came roaring back. Ricksen's free kick was brilliantly clawed away by Gordon, then the game exploded.

Hamed Namouchi swung over a cross from the right and again Kyrgiakos and Miller went for the high ball.

The big Greek got his head to it and the effort flew wide. He appealed instantly that Miller had tugged him, but Dallas moved away - until he spotted Davis flagging.

As the two officials tried to converse, players of both sides swarmed around them.

Gordon held the ball tight, but Prso wanted it and tried to batter it out of the keeper's arms for which he was rightly given a second yellow.

Dallas then pointed to the spot, but Mikoliunas raced at Davis and barged into the official. No matter his frustrations, this was totally unacceptable. He saw red, and will now spend some time out.

Ricksen showed a cool head in stepping up to fire home arguably his most crucial kick of the season past Gordon.

There certainly looked to be little in the incident. But Davis saw something he felt merited a penalty, much to the understandable fury of Robertson.

"The assistant referee refused to discuss it after the game, but Hugh Dallas told us that his assistant saw Lee Miller pull down Kyrgiakos," said a fuming Hearts manager.

"We have seen the tape and that would not appear to be what happened. It's something that has not gone our way again - it has been shown on TV to be very harsh, and that is very annoying. No one on the Rangers bench even claimed."

McLeish concurred that the award was soft, but bristled slightly when asked if this type of decision maybe suggested it was going to be Rangers year.

"I am sure Celtic have had some luck in games," he snapped. "I have only seen it from one angle and it was of the softish variety. But you get some of these ones, and others you don't.

"Maybe something happened before the ball came in, as the linesman is looking right along that direction."

It was hard not to feel for Robertson as his team had given their all. And the missiles thrown at Dallas and Davis at time up were also out of order.

McLeish, though, left quietly, happy in the knowledge Rangers had not tossed anything away at a crucial time.

Taken from Evening Times