Hearts give Rangers palpitations

Scottish Premier
Hearts 2

* Zaliukas 20,
* Kingston 23

Rangers 1

* Karipidis (og) 26

* Ewan Murray at Tynecastle

The domestic fortunes of Rangers and Celtic could hardly be in further contrast since the Ibrox club inflicted an Old Firm defeat on their city rivals on August 31.

Yesterday's defeat means Rangers have haemorrhaged 10 points in the past three months. Celtic's run of 12 league wins in a row, the latest coming by a single goal against Inverness, means they hold a useful seven-point lead at the top. The revival of Walter Smith's Rangers has, in short, stalled; Celtic are well on course for a fourth championship in succession.

"It certainly means that in the three Old Firm games that are left, the pressure is heaped firmly on to ourselves," Smith conceded. "As I've said all along, we have a big enough group of players and that group of players have to handle the situation that we're in."

Whether they can remains open to conjecture. Rangers were swatted aside in the first half when goals from Marius Zaliukas and Laryea Kingston underlined Hearts' superiority. Rangers were offered hope by a Christos Karipidis own goal but even that and the dismissal of the home side's Lee Wallace after 75 minutes could not prompt a Rangers comeback.

Smith was missing the key duo of Kenny Miller and Steven Davis. None the less, his summer signings are struggling. Pedro Mendes was comfortably outshone in midfield by his Portuguese compatriot, Bruno Aguiar, while Kyle Lafferty, an expensive arrival from Burnley, appears completely lost in his new surroundings.

Such shortcomings should not detract from Hearts' fifth straight league win, which arrived amid difficult circumstances. The Tynecastle playing staff did not receive their weekly wages as due on Friday, the second time that has occurred this season. Hearts insist the matter will be resolved today and on the field manager Csaba Laszlo has impressively guided his players to their best run since those heady days under George Burley in 2005.

"OK, the wages are delayed, but we are professional," said Hearts captain Christophe Berra. "If players came here today with that on their mind then those are the types of players you don't want. We don't have players like that. The money has been processed and we have been assured we will get it on Monday. It is not a concern, we will just enjoy our victory."

Whisper it, but at this rate third-placed Hearts may be a bigger danger to Rangers than the Ibrox club are to Celtic.

Man of the match Christophe Berra (Hearts)

Taken from the Guardian/Observer