Ryan Stevenson strikes for Hearts to condemn Rangers to defeat

* Stevenson 77

Rangers 0

* Ewan Murray at Tynecastle Stadium
* guardian.co.uk, Saturday 22 January 2011 15.25 GMT

If snatching victory from a game you barely deserve to win is the mark of genuine title contenders, people will sit up and take notice of Hearts. The Edinburgh team now boast a league record that shows 31 points garnered out of a possible 33. Their latest success, over Rangers, was in the very fortuitous style that both halves of the Old Firm have mastered for years. For that reason alone it was eye-catching.

Even the Hearts support seem unconvinced that a proper push for the championship can be maintained, yet this has been an epic run. As Ryan Stevenson wheeled away to celebrate the only goal of a frantic encounter, joy and disbelief mingled in three of Tynecastle's stands. The Hearts manager Jim Jefferies, famed for accentuating his team's positives, almost looked bashful. "When you don't play well you have to show spirit and determination," he said. "Togetherness took us a long way today. I think it was a good result for the league itself, not just for us."

Rangers left Edinburgh wondering just how they fell to defeat, their first away from Ibrox this season. The defending champions had been utterly dominant in the early stages, with the Hearts goalkeeper Marian Kello keeping his side in the game. As the Rangers substitute Nikica Jelavic blasted a volley off the crossbar – the ball broke down and not quite over the line – with four minutes to play, the visitors knew this wasn't their day. Hearts have moved to within two points of yesterday's opponents, although Rangers have a game in hand.

The Ibrox club's manager, Walter Smith, was miffed more than annoyed. "It's not often that we play as well as we did today," he said. "It is frustrating when you dominate a game and end up losing it. In the first-half, particularly, I thought we were excellent. I don't think our goalkeeper had a save to make, it's not often you come here and say that."

Within the first 25 minutes Kello had saved smartly from Kyle Lafferty and Steven Naismith, and brilliantly in tipping a Jamie Ness shot wide. Hearts had been completely overrun in midfield and were punchless further forward, a matter explained in part by the absence of the influential Kevin Kyle.

A tactical switch by Jefferies, 11 minutes after the interval stemmed that flow. In moving to a 4–4–2 from 4–2–3–1 formation, Hearts' manager prompted a more fluid approach. Lee Wallace, a terrific attacking left-back, was also given more space in which to roam.

Wallace duly started the move that led to his team's winner. His pass to Stephen Elliott was followed by a mis-hit shot, with Stevenson on hand to pounce, controlling expertly before slotting home. What followed perhaps proved what troubles Rangers are likely to face in the absence of Kenny Miller. The striker, who claimed 22 goals in blue during the early part of this campaign, now dons the green and white of Bursaspor; Smith is desperately in need of a replacement for Miller, but lacks funds as he searches for that man.

Jelavic almost immediately compensated for Miller's loss, the woodwork denying his fierce effort. The moment rather summed up Rangers's afternoon, with an equaliser otherwise looking unlikely.

Next stop for Hearts is the small matter of a trip to Celtic Park on Wednesday night. "If we win that, it just puts us more and more in the hunt," added Jefferies. The stage is set, whether Hearts choose to believe it or not.

Taken from the Guardian/Observer