A Sense of Doubt blog post #4096 - Heart of Midlothian Might Make History! Hearts beat Rangers 2-1 on Monday May Fourth
I have not always been a fan of soccer (football).
They have a good lead with three games remaining but they need to win out, which could be tough.
GO HEARTS!!
FYI: https://edinburghtourist.co.uk/questions/why-spit-heart-midlothian/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heart_of_Midlothian_F.C.
Heart of Midlothian secured a massive victory against Rangers at Tynecastle Park on Monday night, coming from behind with second half strikes from Stephen Kingsley and Lawrence Shankland to move three points clear at the Premiership summit.
Coming from behind after Dujon Sterling's first half opener; Kingsley and Shankland both netted stunning volleys in a performance packed with grit, character, and resolve.
With just three games left in the split, the result puts Hearts in the driver's seat ahead of Saturday's trip to Motherwell and Fir Park.
Derek McInnes made two changes to the side that defeated Hibs in the Edinburgh derby last time out; Alexandros Kyziridis and Islam Chesnokov replacing Landry Kabore and Jordi Altena as Hearts shaped up in an aggressive 4-4-2 formation.
In a frantic opening ten minutes, set to the backdrop of Tynecastle at it's intimidating best, Hearts carved out the first chance from a set-play: Craig Halkett leaping highest to meet the free-kick, but his header went over Jack Butland's crossbar.
Rangers responded promptly, with Nico Raskin cleaving his way into the maroon box down the left side - his curling effort requiring Alex Schwolow to stick a paw out to turn it behind.
Both sides were seeing the ball, but it was Rangers who drew first blood after 22 minutes with the opener. James Tavernier's long throw was headed down by Stuart Findlay into the path of Dujon Sterling.
Sterling met it on the volley and, courtesy of a big deflection off Michael Steinwender, it looped over the head of Schwolow and into the net - a swift response from the men in maroon was required.
After a fairly even start, Rangers started to gain control of possession, Hearts turning the ball over too easily, with the visitors' explosive pace giving the Jambos no shortage of worries as the half-hour mark ticked by.
Hearts did earn a promising set-piece within range of goal, but Stuart Findlay's header crashed into the gloves of Butland as Hearts continued to the hunt for that elusive equaliser.
HT: Heart of Midlothian 0-1 Rangers
In the sole change after the break; Islam Chesnokov made way for derby hero Blair Spittal as Derek McInnes shuffled the pack with 45 minutes to go.
It was a brighter start compared to how the first half ended, with Lawrence Shankland making headway into the Rangers area via a delightful backheel pass from Kyziridis; but a block from Nasser Djiga diverted away the danger.
Moments later and the Jambos went again; Baningime sliding Braga in under pressure from two blue shirt, sneaking away a low strike that forced Jack Butland into action to claim the ball.
The pressure was starting to mount, and Hearts were soon rewarded for their spirit, with the equaliser arriving in style thanks to Stephen Kingsley with 53 minutes on the Tynecastle clock.
Good running from Spittal on the edge of the box saw him thread the ball across to a waiting Kyziridis on the right - the Greek winger wasted no time in getting a shot off, his effort cracking off the post and into the path of Stephen Kingsley, who arrowed the ball past Butland to send all four stands into raptures.
The chase was on, with Rangers throwing two punches in the aftermath; the first going astray as Tavernier ballooned his dig from distance high and wide, before Alex Schwolow blocked the second by claiming Emmanuel Fernandez' header at the corner.
Hearts had the bit between their teeth now, and Kyziridis was causing all sorts of problems with his running, nearly bagging Hearts their second after 67 minutes as he nutmegged Fernandez before forcing Butland into another diving save.
The Jambos completed the turnaround bang on the 70 minute mark, and what a goal it was by Lawrence Shankland; the skipper doing what he's done so many times before.
In a crowded goalmouth, great running from Stephen Kingsley kept it alive as he smashed an inviting ball across the face of goal from the byline, with Shankland pouncing and connecting with his first touch as he smashed the ball beyond a hapless Butland.
Backed on by a Gorgie crowd that must have broken every decibal record the city of Edinburgh has ever seen - Hearts almost had a quickfire third from a creative corner routine that saw the ball worked to a waiting Spittal on the edge of the area, with Butland at full stretch to turn it behind.
With five minutes to go, there was a slender lead to guard, with Landry Kabore, Jamie McCart, and Frankie Kent introduced to the game as the Jambos prepared for a white-knuckle ride to the finish line.
Rangers threw everything at Hearts, but the Gorgie stood firm, and with seven minutes of injury time to play - it was going to take everything to get the job done.
And do it they did, with Heart of Midlothian securing yet another massive three points.
Hearts: Schwolow, Kingsley (Kent 89'), Halkett, Baningime, Shankland (Altena 90+3'), Braga (Kabore 82'), Steinwender, Findlay, Leonard, Kyziridis (McCart 82'), Chesnokov (Spittal 45')
Subs: Fulton, Kent, McCart, Kabore, Spittal, Forrest, Altena, Kerjota, Mato
Rangers: Butland, Tavernier, Olsen (Gassama 69'), Chermiti, Diomande (Miovski 83'), Sterling (Rommens 75'), Djiga, Fernandez, Chukwuani, Raskin (Naderi 75'), Moore (Aasgaard 75')
Subs: Kelly, Aarons, Barron, Aasgaard, Antman, Naderi, Gassama, Rommens, Miovski
Attendance: 18,831
Hearts leap in Scottish league title race after beating Rangers with three rounds left
DINBURGH, Scotland (AP) — The three-team race in a Scottish league title chase for the ages now looks down to two after leader Heart of Midlothian rallied to beat Rangers 2-1 on Monday.
Hearts is three points ahead of second-placed Celtic with three rounds left, chasing a first league title for 66 years as a big underdog against richer opponents.
Rangers was all but knocked out of the running, now seven points back.
Rangers can do Hearts a huge favor on Sunday at Celtic in a Glasgow derby between fierce rivals who have combined to win the league in each of the past 40 years.
Hearts took a big step toward a stunning and unheralded Scottish Premiership triumph with second-half goals from defender Stephen Kingsley and talismanic forward Lawrence Shankland. Rangers took a first-half lead on Dujon Sterling's deflected shot.
Shankland's decisive left-foot strike in the 71st minute — his 14th league goal this season — showed the kind of form that could see him lead Scotland's attack when the Tartan Army returns to the World Cup against Haiti on June 13 at the New England Patriots' stadium.
Hearts next plays on Saturday evening at Motherwell and can go six points clear one day before Celtic hosts Rangers.
Hearts also has a better goal difference than Celtic which is the first tiebreaker if they are level on points after the last game of the season — when they meet in Glasgow on May 16.
Scottish Premiership: Hearts and Celtic left fighting for title, but Rangers can still have a say
Rangers are seven points from the Scottish Premiership summit with three games left to play; Celtic are three points behind leaders Hearts; watch Motherwell vs Hearts on Saturday and Celtic vs Rangers on Sunday, both live on Sky Sports
Then there were two.
The most unforgettable season in the Scottish Premiership is now down to Hearts and Celtic.
Rangers' hopes are all but over, but Danny Röhl's side can still have a say on how this dramatic title race ends.
After clawing their way back into contention for their first title in five years, successive defeats leaves them seven points behind leaders Hearts and trailing Celtic by four with three games left to play.
They went to Tynecastle Park on Monday knowing they had to win to realistically remain in the race. A 2-1 defeat means now it's about ending the hopes of their Old Firm rivals.
If Hearts beat Motherwell on Saturday, a Rangers win at Celtic on Sunday would leave the Hoops trailing by six points with two games left to play. Both games will be live on Sky Sports.
Derek McInnes' side could then clinch their first top-flight title since 1960 if they avoid defeat to Falkirk on May 13. Given they are unbeaten in Gorgie this season, you would back them to take at least a point to make history.
As much as Rangers fans would love to stop Celtic winning their 14th title in the last 15 seasons, there is an added incentive of European football.
A win at Parkhead would move Röhl's side to within a point of the Hoops, meaning they would still have a chance of finishing second to secure Champions League football next season.
If they finish third and Celtic lose the Scottish Cup final, it would be the Conference League.
Sounds simple, right?
Final-day decider?
While Hearts are still in the driving seat, Celtic have the experience of winning titles and are firmly in the hunt.
They trail by three points and on goal difference - but they host Hearts at home on the final day of the season.
Martin O'Neill will be hoping their title rivals drop points at Motherwell on Saturday, or at home to Falkirk on Wednesday.
However, failing that - it is still in their hands too. Beat Rangers on Sunday, and win at Motherwell midweek - a win over Hearts could seal it on goal difference.
What a final day we could have in store to the most unforgettable of seasons.
It was meant to be a night to remember at Tynecastle on Monday for soon to be departing Rangers captain James Tavernier, who made his 564th appearance for the club - moving him to fifth in the list of all-time appearance makers.
However, the 34-year-old's defending was called into question on both Hearts goals, leaving Chris Sutton to criticise the heart of the full-back in vital moments.
"Look at the Rangers captain [Tavernier]. That sums him up, his whole time at Rangers," former Celtic striker Sutton stated post-match.
"He has the heart the size of a pea. He's bad on both goals, he should react.
"He should smell the danger the and try and block it. He is so lax, he has killed his team there."
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- Days ago: MOM = 3960 days ago & DAD = 614 days ago
- New note - On 1807.06, I ceased daily transmission of my Hey Mom feature after three years of daily conversations. I post Hey Mom blog entries on special occasions. I post the days since ("Days Ago") count on my blog each day, and now I have a second count for Days since my Dad died on August 28, 2024. I am now in the same time zone as Google! So, when I post at 10:10 a.m. PDT to coincide with the time of Mom's death, I am now actually posting late, so it's really 1:10 p.m. EDT. But I will continue to use the time stamp of 10:10 a.m. to remember the time of her death and sometimes 13:40 EDT for the time of Dad's death. The blog entry numbering in the title has changed to reflect total Sense of Doubt posts since I began the blog on 0705.04, which include Hey Mom posts, Daily Bowie posts, and Sense of Doubt posts. Hey Mom posts will still be numbered sequentially. New Hey Mom posts will use the same format as all the other Hey Mom posts; all other posts will feature this format seen here.
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