Hearts 1 - 2 Rangers Sun 23/08/09

AN inspired substitution gave 10-man Rangers a deserved 2-1 victory at Hearts as Kris Boyd climbed off the bench to grab a last-minute winner.

With half an hour of this game gone, the Light Blues were clinging on for their lives after Kevin Thomson's early red card and David Witteveen's opener for the hosts.

But a revitalised Gers emerged for the second half and after Lee McCulloch's leveller, Boyd's first strike at Tynecastle for seven years settled it.

He stroked home his first goal of the season from the penalty spot after Steven Naismith was fouled in the box by Ismael Bouzid.

It was a day of high drama in Edinburgh but the SPL champions dug deep to ensure they came out on top and they ultimately deserved the win.

Rangers gave one of their poorest performances of last season when they lost 2-1 to Hearts at Tynecastle in November.

As such - and especially following Celtic's 5-2 weekend win over St Johnstone - the onus was on them to respond by taking three points in the capital this time.

Manager Walter Smith made two changes to his team as he reverted to the 4-3-3 system which was such a hit in pre-season.

Kris Boyd and Steven Smith dropped to the bench, with Sasa Papac coming in and Thomson making his first competitive start in more than nine months.

Hearts, of course, were going into the game off the back of a 2-0 loss at Dundee United and a 4-0 Europa League qualifying defeat at Dinamo Zagreb.

They felt they had something to prove themselves and tried to take the game to the champions in the opening stages.

But they were a touch heavy-handed at times and Suso launched himself into a shocking late challenge on Kenny Miller.

That earned the Spanish winger a booking but Miller was also cautioned for his reaction to the foul, even though you couldn't help but have sympathy for the striker.

After the opening bluster, Gers settled down and began to knock the ball about well on the slick Tynecastle surface.

Good interplay between Thomson and Steven Davis almost led to a chance for John Fleck but he lost possession and the hosts broke immediately.

With no real options as he charged forward, however, Ian Black was forced to shoot low from long range and his effort was easily gathered by Allan McGregor.

Rangers' gameplan was thrown into disarray with just 13 minutes gone when Thomson was sent off.

The Ibrox midfielder went into a tackle on Black with too much enthusiasm and caught the former Inverness man late.

It was a challenge certainly worthy of a booking but whether referee Craig Thomson had been too rash with a red card was up for debate.

Undeterred, the Light Blues came forward and tried to break the deadlock but the home side's physical approach and sheer size meant they seldom had any joy up front.

Fleck had a go from 20 yards but should have played Naismith through instead and he was quick to hear about it after his shot trundled well wide.

Gers then had a decent penalty claim waved away when Miller went down in the box under pressure from Jose Goncalves and he seemed to have a case.

Despite their numerical disadvantage, Smith's men were holding their own and looked more potent when they came forward than their opponents.

With that said, the Jambos might well have taken a lead when Madjid Bougherra's hesitancy gave them a great opportunity.

The Algerian tried to shield the ball out of play for a goal kick but simply stopped playing when it was clearly still in play.

Suso took control and after cutting back across two men, he curled towards the far post and saw his attempt crash off the woodwork and away.

While Rangers got away with their lapse then, they weren't so lucky on 31 minutes as Hearts went in front.

Csaba Laszlo's team appealed for a free kick when Steven Whittaker appeared to pull back David Obua on the left.

But referee Thomson played the advantage and Wittenveen played a one-two with battering ram Christian Nade to find himself in on goal.

His shot was weak but with the pitch soaking from overnight rain, McGregor allowed it to squirm under his body and just over the line when he should have stopped it.

Gers were on the ropes and that was largely down to their rivals giving them so little space and time to play.

McCulloch was dispossessed by substitute Gary Glen - on for the ineffective Nade - but he was off target.

Rangers were really struggling to get going but then, with half-time approaching, they almost drew level.

Bougherra fed Whittaker and his quick feet allowed him to cross for Miller but a defensive block diverted his poke wide for a corner when it might have been sneaking in.

Moments before the whistle, McCulloch also tried to repeat his stunner against Falkirk but was off target and it was 1-0 at the break.

The visitors made a change for the second half, with Steven Smith replacing Fleck. It wasn't too surprising to see the youngster go as the match had passed him by.

Hearts were on the offensive almost immediately and a long punt upfield by keeper Janos Balogh almost paid off for them.

Witteveen latched on to it but with McGregor coming to close him down, Bougherra did exceptionally well to intervene and put the ball behind for a corner.

When the corner came in seconds later, the ball flashed towards goal from a ruck of bodies and McGregor tipped it onto his bar then away.

Rangers' response was instant, with Davis swinging a free kick after a foul on Miller and David Weir heading it just inches past.

Smith then fired in a wicked cross that Naismith connected with but it had too much pace on it and the striker was always going to find it hard to convert.

Gers were starting to make more of an impact and were making a game of it at last, with the introduction of Smith making a difference.

And just after the hour mark, they pulled level after a good spell of pressure through McCulloch.

Smith was the provider, sending an inswinging free kick in after Whittaker was clipped and his glancing header sneaked in at the back post.

Having got back into the match, Rangers set about trying to win it but any time they broke upfield, they lacked a final pass.

Obua threw the Light Blues a reminder that Hearts could still snatch the victory when he cut in from the right and shot just past.

And the away side heeded the warning by turning the screw further, with McCulloch almost grabbing his second with a chip from the edge of the area that went just too high.

Time was beginning to run out for both sides as they search for a decisive goal and the hosts thought they had it when Suso's rasper almost sneaked in.

But that honour fell to Boyd and seconds after replacing Miller, he rammed home following that trip on Naismith to ensure the three points went back to Glasgow.

Teams

RANGERS: McGregor; Whittaker, Weir, Bougherra, Papac; Thomson, Naismith, Davis, McCulloch, Fleck (Smith 45); Miller (Boyd 85),

Subs: Alexander, Niguez, Beasley, Little, Wilson,

Hearts: Balogh, Jonsson, Goncalves, Bouzid, Lee Wallace, Santana, Black, Palazuelos, Obua, Nade, Witteveen,

Subs: Kello, Kucharski, Novikovas, Elliot, Glen, J. Stewart, C. Thomson,

Ref: C Thomson

Man-of-the-match: Miller

Attendance: 20,239