Darcheville and Novo keep Rangers on track

Ewan Murray at Tynecastle
Thursday February 28, 2008
The Guardian

Rangers' previous visit resulted in their poorest performance of the season, losing 4-2. Last night the contrast could not have been more striking as Walter Smith's team dismantled Hearts in a fashion that scotched any notion that Rangers have struggled rather than sauntered to the top of the table.

Two goals each by Jean-Claude Darcheville and the substitute Nacho Novo settled matters, extending Rangers' winning league run to 10 in succession. Celtic's 2-1 victory over Inverness last night makes it appear even more likely that the championship will be decided by the season's remaining three Old Firm matches, with Rangers currently four points clear of their city rivals.

Article continues
"That's two contrasting performances here," said the Rangers manager. "We played very well tonight, right from the start of the game, and hopefully we can keep performing to that level."

Steve Banks had already produced a spectacular save to tip a close-range Steven Naismith header over the bar by the time the Hearts goalkeeper was first beaten by Darcheville. The French striker rounded off a swift move which also involved Steven Davis and Barry Ferguson after the outstanding Davis had cheaply robbed Rubén Palazuelos of possession on the edge of the Hearts penalty area. Darcheville drove an angled shot beyond Banks to emphasise early superiority.

Rather than rouse Hearts, the goal merely precipitated a further series of Rangers attacks and Darcheville promptly increased the lead, bundling home from close range after the home defence had failed to clear a Ferguson corner.

Darcheville was withdrawn at half-time as a precaution after complaining of a tight hamstring. So Novo made an entrance and the Spaniard merely compounded Hearts' agonies. Within 10 minutes he converted Charlie Adam's low cross to put the match out of sight and ensure scores of maroon-clad supporters were heading homeward early. Hearts were incapable of stringing three passes together, let alone scoring three times.

Rangers seized on such inadequacies and Novo cleverly back-heeled the most impressive goal of the night past Banks, Adam again the supplier with a low, right-foot cross. "It was as much of a 4-0 as you could see," said Stephen Frail, the Hearts caretaker manager. "And it could have been more."

Taken from the Guardian/Observer