- 19 hours ago
Extended highlights as Hearts go up against Rangers, as the race for the title hots up.
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01:00And Hibernian go down to ten men yet again.
01:04It's Johnston and Baida.
01:06And Celtic have a massive lead.
01:09And Joe Newell pokes it home.
01:13Hibs level.
01:14Tierney on the main stand side.
01:16It's an action.
01:17That right there is ginormous.
01:21Hibernian one.
01:22Celtic two.
01:23And it's over to you, Hearts and Rangers.
01:29How would Hearts and Rangers respond here at Tynecastle?
01:32Commentary comes from Alistair Lammond.
01:36That is the key question on this glorious bank holiday Monday ahead of one of the biggest games of a
01:43quite incredible campaign.
01:45Hearts have blazed a trail all season.
01:47This is the latest point at which any non-owned firm side has led the top flight since Hearts themselves
01:54in that fateful 85-86 season when Dundee broke them on the final day, allowing Celtic to take the glory.
02:02They're waiting in the wings once more, eager to see which of their title rivals steps up to the plate
02:09this evening.
02:19Hearts make a couple of changes from the crucial derby win last weekend as Derek McInnes brings in two wide
02:25players in the shape of Alexandros Kisiridis and Islam Chesnikov.
02:30There's Jordi Altena and Pierre-Landri Kabori dropping to the bench.
02:34PFA Player of the Year, Claudio Braga and Captain Lauren Shaikland have 34 goals between them.
02:42Rangers defeat by Motherwell, it was their first in 17 in the league since the 2-1 loss here in
02:47December.
02:48Danny Rill changes four from last week, with Captain James Tavernier returning, along with Mo Diamonde, Andreas Skow Olsen and
02:56Young Player of the Year, Mikey Moore.
02:58There's no Jadon Magoma in the squad, but Gassama, Asghar and Majofsky take a place on the bench alongside fit
03:05again to Romans and Ryan Naderi.
03:12Tynecastle, awash with colour, vibrant atmosphere.
03:17Tynecastle, as John Beaton prepares to give Niko Raskan the signal to get under way.
03:25The Hearts win tonight, probably ends Rangers titles' hopes.
03:32Danny Rillside really could do with a win to narrow the gap on the top two to just one ahead
03:39of the final three games.
03:45And the header from Craig Halkett over the top.
03:52He won it well, probably feel he should have been able to get that down on target.
03:57No test door for Jack Butland on that occasion.
04:02There's Captain Tavernier, he clips it forward, it's a good ball for Skow Olsen.
04:07He slides it back into Moore, Moore takes it on the run, good play from Mikey Moore.
04:12All the way across goal, retrieved by Raskan.
04:17Looks for options, leaves it to Sterling.
04:23Raskan up against Steinwender, as he got here at the Belgian.
04:27Comes off Steinwender and Svolov forced to palm it behind.
04:34Raskan did well here, didn't look to have too many options.
04:40Slight deflection, I think, of the defender.
04:43Made it more tricky for the keeper.
04:51Raskan.
04:53Raskan.
04:54Sterling.
04:57Iamondi dropping deep to pick up possession.
05:03Finds Chikwani.
05:06Sterling on the move.
05:08Back will go Steinwender.
05:10He just gets the touch to knock it behind for a corner.
05:17Manny Fernandes going to try and make himself a nuisance in that Harts penalty area.
05:25As Tavernier prepares to swing in another corner.
05:33That's a chance for Chikwani.
05:35Only a couple of yards out.
05:38And he's missed the target by a long way.
05:41He found himself all alone in the end.
05:44And he's got to do better.
05:47And he just couldn't quite rise high enough.
05:50But...
05:50What a chance that looked.
05:56Chimiti for Diamondi.
05:59Now Skollsson.
06:01Bit of room here.
06:03Here comes Finlay.
06:06Skollsson.
06:07Can't get the ball back beyond him.
06:11He's picked out Moore.
06:12He leaves it for Tavernier.
06:14Tavernier's going to go for a goal here.
06:17Blocked by Kingsley.
06:24Tavernier waving his central defenders forward.
06:28Plenty of targets in there for Tavernier to try and hit.
06:38Here comes Finlay.
06:40The deflection is in.
06:42Rangers in front.
06:44And Dujon Sterling with the air of a big deflection.
06:48Has the opening goal.
06:56Well, it's not what this Tynecastle crowd had in mind.
07:00But Dujon Sterling with just his third Rangers goal
07:04has fired the visitors ahead.
07:08Finlay's header fell kindly for him.
07:14And it just takes a neck I think off Steinbender.
07:17He scored their own goal at Ibrox.
07:19That won't go down as an own goal.
07:21But it's a crucial deflection.
07:24Takes it over Spallover into the back of the net.
07:28And Rangers...
07:29with the early advantage.
07:34Has that silenced the Harts crowd, maybe momentarily?
07:40Rangers really have bossed this first half.
07:45Pops have barely laid a glove on them.
07:47They'll have to change that in the second period.
07:51As supermanager Steve Platt looks on.
07:55And the champions will certainly be in his thoughts for the World Cup.
08:02Half-time at Tynecastle and Dujon Sterling has deflected goals.
08:06There's the difference between the sides.
08:08The title rivals.
08:10And it's Rangers with the edge.
08:12Having had the better of the first half.
08:15Neither Claudio Braga nor any of his teammates have been able to trouble Jack Butland.
08:20And Derek McInnes is going to have to come up with a second half plan to change that.
08:25He's going to have to come up with a second half.
08:25At the interval.
08:27It's Hearts now, Rangers 1.
08:33Where Spittle, the hero in the derby, coming on at the start of the second half.
08:39To replace Islam Chesnikov.
08:43Giving Hearts that extra man in the heart of the midfield perhaps.
08:49Tony Bloom looking to help lead Hearts to an historic title.
08:58Now let's see what the reaction's like in this second half from the league leaders.
09:04As they try to peg Rangers back.
09:07The draw looks certainly a better result for Hearts than it would be for Rangers.
09:12Let's see Derek McInnes' half-time words of wisdom.
09:17Can do to this second period.
09:22And there's Spittle, an opportunity to put this one in.
09:25Shanklin chests it down.
09:27He's going to come back to Shanklin.
09:31Fernandes getting his head in the way.
09:35Better from Hearts.
09:39No surprise to see their captain is heavily involved.
09:46I think well have been goal bound from Shanklin this before Fernandes is heading the way.
09:50That was never goal bound from Spittle.
10:02Spittle for Braga.
10:04For Beningame.
10:06And as Braga gets the shot off, but Butland saves.
10:10First save he's had to make in the entire game, Jack Butland.
10:14Claudio Braga just couldn't find the bottom corner.
10:22Tavernier forward.
10:23Diamondi, well advanced.
10:25Leaves it back for Cermite.
10:27What a little turn.
10:28Tries to poke it to Raskan.
10:30Down goes Steinbender.
10:31No touch there.
10:32Rangers might still get the opportunity.
10:35It's back with Scholes and Straders follow.
10:50Finlay.
10:52Braga forces it through to Shanklin.
10:55Looking for Spittle.
10:57Now Kiziridis.
11:00Promising this for Hearts.
11:02It's Kiziridis.
11:03Off the post.
11:04And on the rebound.
11:06Hearts are level.
11:08Stephen Kingsley.
11:10Rattles the ball home.
11:14And Hearts improve.
11:15Start to the second half.
11:17Bears fruit.
11:18It will have been much improved.
11:21Since the.
11:23Half time break.
11:25And Kiziridis.
11:26So unfortunate to see his shot come back.
11:29But Kingsley was so alert.
11:32More so than Scott Olsen.
11:35And he just knocked it beyond Jack Butland.
11:44Huge goal for Hearts.
11:47Stephen Kingsley's third of the season.
12:03Stephen Kingsley's third of the season.
12:05Just can't put Leonard under pressure.
12:07Means he'll have the throw in.
12:16Tavernier.
12:18Another long throw incoming.
12:22Best one there.
12:23And it's clutched in the line.
12:25It was Fernandes who got the header in.
12:26But it's follow-off equal to it.
12:29Fernandes.
12:30Decent contact in the header.
12:32He and Steinfender coming together afterwards.
12:56Braga and Giga bottling away.
12:59Kingsley.
13:00She kept that in.
13:01It's going to come for Lauren.
13:02Shagland!
13:05Lauren Shagland once again is a man for Hearts.
13:09To slam it beyond Jack Butland.
13:20And with 20 minutes to play.
13:25They are now on course for what could be a precious victory.
13:31Kingsley does brilliantly to keep this in play.
13:35But Lauren Shagland fires it beyond Butland.
13:47It's a wonderful, wonderful finish from the Hearts captain.
13:51It brings his 18th goal of the season.
13:56And none will have been any sweeter than that one.
14:08That's come again.
14:10Almost in again.
14:13Sterling with a little tug there on the edge of the box.
14:27Leonard and Kingsley over this free kick.
14:31Kingsley...
14:31For Spittle!
14:33That's not far away.
14:37Butland got a touch to this.
14:40Yeah, he needed to.
14:43Good save.
14:44To deny Blair Spittle.
14:56Fernandes does well.
14:59Taken out of play by Mark Leonard.
15:07The Rangers haven't lost back-to-back games in the Premiership since 2018.
15:17Under Grae and Murthy.
15:21That's what's facing them right now.
15:25As they can pull something out the bag.
15:27Here's Tavernier's free kick.
15:28Too close to Swallowb.
15:30Header comes in off the crossbar!
15:34And Halkic is back to North Clear.
15:39The Rangers close to an equaliser there.
15:42As Asghar inches away from finding the back of the net.
16:00And the player goes down in the box.
16:04Nothing given as Gassama hits the deck.
16:07I've got to go to the ground, maybe a tangle of legs, but...
16:12Is there a trip there?
16:16And these fans believe they are moving closer and closer to what would be an almighty victory.
16:25Some of them can barely watch.
16:34Jermiti.
16:38Chukwani gets it out to Gassama.
16:41Decent ball in, Adairi tries to bring it down.
16:44And Hearts work it clear.
16:47Header will try and come again, it's Asghar.
16:51Hearts work it ever so hard to try and keep them at bay, it's Romans.
16:55Decent looking ball, and up goes Jermiti, but it's wide.
17:01And that will just about do it for Hearts.
17:04The manager knows it.
17:07Now wait till you hear the roar when the full-time whistle goes.
17:12The roof will come off this place.
17:31What a moment for Tony Bloom, who might not have envisaged this in his first season.
17:36Investing in Hearts.
17:38There it is!
17:39Hearts have won!
17:40It's an almighty victory.
17:45Which sends them clear once more at the top of the table.
17:49It almost certainly ends Rangers' title hops.
17:53But Laurence Shankland and Stephen Kingsley's second half goals
17:58have turned a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 victory.
18:04To take them three points clear.
18:08And within touching distance of a first league title since 1960.
18:15Celtic will still have something to say about that.
18:21But Rangers, having been on top in the first period,
18:25could not live with Hearts in the second half.
18:28Whatever Derek McKinnis said and did at half-time,
18:31turned the game around.
18:33And Hearts maintain their unbeaten record at Tyne Castle.
18:38And not only that, they move seven points clear at Rangers.
18:42Three clear at Celtic, with three games to go.
18:46And this Tyne Castle crowd truly believes that something special is in the air.
18:52And it could just be their season.
18:58What a night at Tyne Castle, where it finishes.
19:02Hearts two, Rangers one.
19:06We have to admit that we were second best for half an hour.
19:10But thankfully it was only one nothing.
19:13And we had a big, it was a big half-time for us.
19:16Really it was.
19:18And, you know, we asked the players to show more responsibility.
19:22We're no top of the league.
19:25And we needed to start showing that we were a team at the top of the league
19:27because we were miles off at first half.
19:28But I felt that, all of a sudden, centre-backs start to take more responsibility
19:33to bring Rangers on to them.
19:35Well, midfielders start getting more touches.
19:37Leonard and Beningame.
19:38I think Spittle, instead of being a runner,
19:40and Chesnikov from ten,
19:43Spittle starts to, another one to look for the ball.
19:45And all of a sudden, by making a few passes,
19:47the spaces develop and we start to play in the spaces.
19:51And all of a sudden, any balls we played up to Braga and Lawrence
19:55start to be more of a fair fight and start to put a bit more stress on their backline.
19:59But, so it wasn't a change of shape.
20:01It was the exact same shape, but it was a change of approach.
20:04And the two goals are magnificent.
20:07So from a losing position, and it's the third week in a row we've been behind.
20:10We've dug it out and thankfully we've managed to get a positive result
20:13from such a difficult position we were in.
20:15I think we showed today, and this is football, what I said,
20:19we showed minimum 45 minutes how we want to play and how we can play.
20:26But football is not about 45 minutes, it's about 90, 100 minutes.
20:30And in the end, if an opponent plays us out of the park,
20:37then I have to accept this.
20:39But today, how we make decisions in some moments,
20:43this is then really a part of what we have to improve.
20:46And we will learn from this, we have to learn from this.
20:48We have a young potential squad,
20:51but this is a job in the next weeks and months to improve.
20:56How difficult is it not to think too far ahead
20:58and always just think to the next game because you're so close to the finishing line now?
21:02Of course, when the games are running down,
21:05there's only three left.
21:07No matter where you are in the season,
21:08when you get to this point, obviously single-figure games,
21:10you can count them down.
21:11But for us, it's just about trying to get maximum points.
21:14And if we do that, then we know where we'll be.
21:17And so a seismic result here at the Rocking Tyne Castle.
21:20It leaves Hearts three points clear of Celtic at the top of the table
21:24and seven points clear of Rangers.
21:27I'm joined by the former Hearts midfielder, Ryan Stevenson.
21:29Ryan, first and foremost, is that Rangers out of the title race for you?
21:33Well, mathematically, obviously not,
21:35but I would think everybody would have the same answer,
21:38that yes is the answer to that.
21:40I think it would be too much for them now to come back.
21:43They would need Celtic and Hearts, obviously,
21:45to both fall off a cliff, basically.
21:48So I think that's them done.
21:50And yet, after weathering the early Hearts storm in this first half,
21:53Rangers would dominate the first half.
21:55They would get the goal as well, Ryan,
21:57and I guess a lot to like from a Rangers point of view.
21:59They could have been 2-0 up at the break, to be fair.
22:01Yeah, listen, I think for 30 minutes they were like a proper Rangers team.
22:06A Rangers team that you would expect to see.
22:07They passed the ball well, they moved well.
22:09And you're probably right.
22:11I said in commentary that at 37 minutes,
22:15if Hearts get in at 1-0, then it's a result for them
22:17and they can sort of try and regroup.
22:19Because Rangers were that dominant, I felt, for that 30-minute spell.
22:23But, I mean, after the half-time, the second half was just complete Hearts,
22:28complete domination, a massive team talk from Derek McInnes and the boys.
22:33And they managed to come out and, I mean, as I said,
22:35that second half performance was just magnificent.
22:37Yeah, huge credit to Derek McInnes and all the Hearts players as well.
22:43It would be interesting to know exactly what was said at half-time, obviously,
22:46but they were a completely changed team.
22:48It wasn't even so much the system, was it, Ryan?
22:49It was just, they seemed pumped, everybody seemed more at it.
22:53I mean, the last five minutes of the first half,
22:55I genuinely felt as if some of the boys' legs had gone.
22:58I don't know whether it was the energy, just conceding the goal,
23:00the way Rangers were moving the ball.
23:03And whatever was said, I said at half-time,
23:06this was going to be the biggest team talk that he would ever do
23:07in his managerial career up to date.
23:10I think it would have been.
23:11And I think the boys are probably taking responsibility.
23:13We've seen this so many times with Hearts,
23:15that they all take responsibility for their performances.
23:18You can see they're in it together.
23:21With the fans on the side, you have to give them a mention as well,
23:24because I think they were absolutely unbelievable.
23:26Derek spoke about it as well, just how good they were.
23:29But whatever was said in that changing room,
23:31they came out, they were better.
23:33I think Blair Spittle made a massive difference as well.
23:35But whatever they spoke about, they came out,
23:37and straight from minute one, they were just absolutely outstanding.
23:41And big players that have been big players all season came to the fore,
23:43because they read us with that great shot,
23:46comes back off the post.
23:47And what a reaction from Stephen Kinsley.
23:49Yeah, listen, we obviously just spoke to him off air there.
23:51They said that all he was thinking was just get this on target,
23:54because so many times the balls come back off the post or the crossbar,
23:59and you just lash at it, and he never.
24:00He managed to keep it down, get the goal back.
24:03I thought he was outstanding in the second half as well.
24:06And then obviously Lawrence's goal was just absolute quality.
24:10I mean, coming back onto it on his left foot,
24:13to have the power in it, the accuracy in it.
24:16I mean, Jack Butland is a top goalkeeper with reaction saves.
24:21And just cometh the hour, cometh the man.
24:23I mean, captain of the club.
24:25Unbelievable story from where he's been to where he is now.
24:28An amazing goal.
24:30A fantastic mentality shown by Hearts.
24:32Question marks over mentality for Rangers in the second half.
24:35Danny, you're all saying it wasn't a mentality issue.
24:37What was your take on it?
24:39Yeah, for me it was.
24:41I'll be brutally honest, I always am with it.
24:43I don't think there's enough players there that are Rangers quality.
24:47In a footballing sense, but also in a heart sense,
24:50to understand the responsibility of wearing the Rangers strip.
24:54I don't think there's enough of them there that care enough.
24:56I genuinely mean that.
24:59Danny Roe came out after it with his interview as well, and I thought that was lackluster.
25:04Being honest, I expected him to come out and say, mathematically we're still in it.
25:08It was going to be really hard, which he kind of did.
25:11But come out and say you're not happy.
25:12I mean, for 30 minutes, yeah, brilliant, but you play for Rangers.
25:16You need to do that for 90.
25:18And have a go at them.
25:19These players, nowadays I think, too many players are protected.
25:23And their players play for Rangers, they play for a big, big club.
25:26They need to do better.
25:28Next up for Hearts, obviously Motherwell, Saturday night.
25:32And obviously they can put more pressure on Celtic and Rangers who meet on the Sunday.
25:37As far as you're concerned though, Ryan, do you feel that the title is now heading to Tyne Castle?
25:43Yes.
25:44As a pundit, I would say yes.
25:46I absolutely think they'll go on and win it.
25:49I think as a player and I think as a staff, they can't even think of that.
25:52They just need to think this was a massive three points.
25:54They're on their way to it.
25:56Motherwell, maybe not playing as well as they can.
25:59Results-wise, haven't been great of late.
26:01But I covered the game here a couple of weeks ago and they were absolutely outstanding in it.
26:05So Hearts will know 100% that Motherwell can cause them problems.
26:09They don't have a great record at Fir Park.
26:10It will be a tough game.
26:12But I mean, what an amount of pressure they can put on Celtic.
26:16If they go, get three points, and then it's all there to do for Celtic against Rangers in the Old
26:22Firm.
26:22I have to talk about it, Ryan.
26:23It was an incredible atmosphere at Tyne Castle.
26:25Right at the start, Colin Chisholm singing the Hearts song once again.
26:28It seems to really get this place going.
26:30And a week on Wednesday when Falkirk come here, you just wonder if that might be the moment when everything
26:36goes over the line for Hearts.
26:37I think in-house they'll be looking at that.
26:40They'll be looking at it saying, look, can we get it to the Falkirk game so we don't need to
26:43go to Parkhead and get anything.
26:45And you know what, it's a stroke of genius.
26:47Listen, he'd done it the first game that he did it, I was here, and it was brilliant.
26:52And Derek McInnes literally saw it, and I watched his interview after it, and he said, I'm going to get
26:57him back.
26:57We need him back because that energy from him singing the song, to the fans, to the fire going up,
27:04everything just to the players walking out.
27:06That all adds to everything for the players.
27:10Yeah, a masterstroke, and it's absolutely brilliant.
27:12Brian, thank you very much indeed.
27:14Tonight the William Hill Premiership table looks like this.
27:17Hearts extend their lead at the top to three points with just three games to go.
27:23Celtic on 73, Rangers seven points behind Hearts now on 69 points.
27:29A wealth of football on the way.
27:31Tomorrow night, in fact, the first of the Premiership playoff quarterfinal matches.
27:35The first leg between Dunfermline Athletic and Arbroath.
27:39Join us half past seven on BBC Scotland.
27:42And then it's the UEFA Champions League semi-finals highlights.
27:45That's Wednesday night, 10.40 on BBC One.
27:48Icons of football featuring the one and only Henrik Larsson on Thursday night, 10 o'clock on BBC Scotland.
27:55The start of the new series of icons.
27:57And then, of course, the second leg of Arbroath versus Dunfermline Athletic.
28:02Join us Friday night at the earlier than usual time of a quarter past seven on BBC Scotland.
28:08My thanks to Ryan Stevenson.
28:11It was the game of a generation for Hearts tonight.
28:13Just three more to go in this incredible quest for glory from all of us on the Sports Scene team.
28:18Goodnight.
28:19Goodnight.
28:49I'll see you next time.