Rangers 4 - 0 Hearts: Whyte hot blues cruise it

Published Date: 08 May 2011
By Tom English
at Ibrox
Rangers 4

Jelavic 23; Lafferty 40; Davis 44; Stevenson og 84

Hearts 0
Short of Cheryl Cole running on to the pitch at half-time, whipping off her kit and breaking into a rendition of that Girls Aloud classic Something Kinda Ooooh, this could not have been a more perfect day for the diehards of Craig Whyte's - yes, Craig Whyte's - football club. Watching from the director's box, his father at his side, Whyte had the dream beginning to his reign at Ibrox, a thumping victory in a raucous stadium, a nerve-less step towards, perhaps, a third consecutive league championship.

Having scored five last weekend at Motherwell, Walter Smith's side followed up with another four against Hearts as well as two efforts that came back off a post. It was a performance that had the home fans in giddy raptures and, no doubt, a coterie of Celtic fans crying conspiracy. Hearts went down in flames right enough, but they hardly meant it. They were undone by a long injury list and by a Rangers side who were more physical and more ruthless. All of a sudden, Smith's players, despite having many more games in their legs than their counterparts across the city, look full of running. It's not a bad time to get your second wind.

Three first-half goals from Nikica Jelavic, Kyle Lafferty and Steven Davis and a late own-goal from Ryan Stevenson did for a Hearts team that went into the game with a patchwork defence and then paid the price. They were missing their first-choice goalkeeper in Marian Kello, their top three centre-halves, Andy Webster (how strange that he would miss a game at Ibrox), Marius Zaliukas and Ismael Bouzid, and their fine full-back, Lee Wallace.

The visitors hadn't won here since May 2004 and once Jelavic opened the scoring the chances of them ending that long sequence drifted away on the breeze. Hearts have had a fine season, but they have stalled terribly in recent weeks, drawing five games in a row leading up to this one and conceding eight goals. They were ill-equipped to do anything about a resolute Rangers team.

Jelavic was a diamond again, an unending threat to Adrian Mrowiec and Eggert Jonsson, the pair of unfortunates in the middle of the Hearts defence who were trying to track him. Jonsson had a nightmarish day, getting sent off on the hour-mark for a lunge on Davis. It was a slightly harsh call, but it mattered little for the game was done by then.

It was evident as early as the ninth minute that Hearts were going to have a rough day when Jelavic snaked his way across the penalty area and got a shot away that went just past Jamie MacDonald's right-hand post. Hearts were a developing calamity at the back, their only hope of surviving coming through their attacking play, which was decent at times.

David Templeton certainly came into the game without any fear and he almost shocked Ibrox in the 16th minute when he bamboozled Madjid Bougherra with his quick feet before dragging a shot across Allan McGregor's goal which Stevenson only narrowly failed to poke home at the back post.

Quickly, though, Rangers found themselves. It was Davis's crossfield ball that fell to Jelavic to the left of MacDonald's goal. The striker trapped it with his first touch and then slammed it under the goalkeeper with his left foot. It was his 17th goal in his 24th appearance for Rangers. Quite a player, this.

Rangers, with a brutal efficiency, killed the contest by half time. In the last 15 minutes of the opening spell they were denied a penalty, when Jelavic looked like he had been tripped by Ian Black, and then motored on to add ballast to their lead. Their second told you something about the edge they had in attack since it came on the back of a Hearts attack that saw Black drive in a wonderful shot that was saved at full stretch by McGregor. From there, Rangers came roaring up the park. Davis went up the left-hand side and put in a cross that Steven Naismith took a swipe at - and missed. Just as the midfielder was registering his embarrassment, Gregg Wylde followed up and cracked a shot at MacDonald, but this one was charged down, the ball falling for Lafferty who smacked it in. Ibrox was now in a heightened state of euphoria, their title challenge looking in fine fettle, their club sold, the bankers off their case and the promise of new players now a reality rather than a dream.

To add to their delirium, they scored a third before the half was over and again Wylde was heavily involved. His cross from the left was planted on Davis's head and the midfielder nutted it in from close range.

Diouf created a fourth, when the unfortunate Ryan Stevenson deflected past MacDonald into his own net. All that was left at that point was to acclaim Whyte's new era and to look forward to Celtic's response in Kilmarnock today.

RANGERS

McGregor
Whittaker
Weir
Bougherra
Papac
Wylde
Edu (72)
Davis
Lafferty (85)
Naismith
Jelavic (71)

Subs used

Diouf (71)
McCulloch (72)
Healy (85)

HEARTS

MacDonald
C Thomson
Jonsson
Mrowiec (78)
McGowan
Obua
Black
Palazuelos
Templeton (58)
Skacel (61)
Stevenson

Subs used

S Elliott (58)
Robinson (61)
Barr (78)

MAN OF THE MATCH

Nikica Jelavic (Rangers)

A magnificent player and a goals machine.

TALKING POINT

Was this the defining day of the championship?

Referee: I Brines. Attendance: 46,178

Taken from the Scotsman