Rangers 2 Hearts 1: Instant reaction to the burning issues

Here are four talking points from an intriguing encounter at Ibrox.

Naismith takes cautious approach

After Hearts were easily pulled apart by Celtic last week, it perhaps should have come as no surprise that Steven Naismith decided to start a little more cautiously at Ibrox as he changed the team’s shape to a 5-3-2. Kye Rowles, Frankie Kent and Toby Sibbick made up the back three and the trio were flanked by Alex Cochrane and Odel Offiah. Beni Baningime sat at the base of midfield, with Calem Nieuwenhof and Jorge Grant either side of him, while Lawrence Shankland played off Kenneth Vargas in attack.

It meant there was no place for Cammy Devlin – a bold choice, given the combative Aussie is one of the most effective midfielders off the ball in the league – but Naismith clearly felt the extra man in defence would be enough to keep Rangers at bay.

This meant Hearts had the numerical advantage at the back, but it left Naismith’s side a little shy of bodies going forward. A lot was asked of Nieuwenhof and Grant in particular – the duo would have to get forward to support the forwards in attack, or Vargas and Shankland would quickly become isolated – and the same was true of the two wing-backs. If they sat off, they would only invite pressure while simultaneously blunting their own side’s attack. Rangers decided not to press too far up the park, though, giving Hearts the opportunity to get forward – and it was one that was seized with relish with less than five minutes on the clock.

Hearts seize early initiative

If Hearts left themselves with a mountain to climb by conceding early doors against Celtic last week, then they gave themselves a sizeable helping hand within the opening few minutes in Govan. Hearts had numbers forward – an apt demonstration of the sort of bravery that was absent in last week’s 4-1 defeat – but weren’t rushing it as they circulated the ball, patiently waiting for an opening before the ball was shifted out to Cochrane. The full-back took a touch inside before looping a right-footed cross towards Shankland at the back post, with the striker duly nodding home.

The early goal left Hearts looking that little bit more confident as they zipped the ball about in possession, carefully choosing when to commit men forward and when to keep the ball. They were still made to work hard off of it, and Rangers naturally enjoyed the lion’s share of possession, but they were struggling to test Zander Clark from open play, much to the frustration of the home support.

Shankland maintained Hearts’ lead with a goal-saving clearance off the line from a Rangers corner midway through the first half but apart from that, Naismith’s men largely kept their opponents at an arm’s length while fashioning the odd half-chance of their own at the other end, too. James Tavernier’s penalty on the cusp of half-time was a little slice of fortune that Hearts’ play had deserved.

In-game decisions go under the microscope

Naismith tinkered slightly with the team’s shape early in the second half as he switched to a 5-4-1, with Shankland leading the line and Grant and Vargas providing the width. The change was made to prevent Rangers gaining the numerical superiority out wide – limiting the amount of time that Tavernier and Ridvan Yilmaz were afforded on the ball.

Alan Forrest and Devlin were brought on with half an hour to go, replacing Grant and Baningime respectively, and it wasn’t difficult to see why either change was made. Forrest is more of a natural winger than Grant and was a better fit for the team’s revised shape, while Baningime has not played a full 90 minutes in quite some time. Devlin’s tireless work ethic was just what Hearts needed to provide an extra layer of defence.

Hearts no longer offered much of an attacking threat as the game wore on, and struggled to string any more than a few passes together. Devlin would finish the match at right wing-back after Sibbick was replaced by Andy Halliday, and Peter Haring came on for Nieuwenhof to add a little more defensive steel in the middle, but the effect was that Hearts stood off their opponents and invited pressure. The result? Two late goals for Rangers that meant Hearts had nothing to show for all their hard work up to that point.

Naismith's in-game decisions have previously come under the microscope - and they will surely do so again after this loss. 

Hearts short of options at the back

Hearts travelled to Glasgow this afternoon with a solitary defender on the bench but when the team make the trip through next week for their League Cup semi-final, Naismith might well find himself with even fewer options to choose from after Odel Offiah was substituted five minutes before the break at Ibrox. Fans will be hoping the change was a tactical one, rather than one enforced through injury.

Stephen Kingsley, only just back in the squad after picking up a knock of his own in the Edinburgh derby, came on to play in the middle of the back three as Sibbick was moved to right wing-back when Offiah came on. Andy Halliday can fill in at left-back and Peter Haring can play centre-half if push came to shove, while Devlin was ineffective at right-back. In a week where the squad’s depth will be tested, Hearts have concerningly few viable options at the back.