Rangers 4-2 Hearts

Youssef Cermiti scored a hat-trick as Rangers came within two points of leaders Hearts with a 4-2 win over league leaders Ibrox in a tight contest for the Scottish Premiership title on Sunday.

After Celtic scored the winner in the 97th minute in a thrilling game against Kilmarnock earlier in the day, both sets of players knew the importance of the three points on Glasgow’s south side and exchanged blows early on as Michael Steinwender’s own goal canceled out Mark Leonard’s opener.

Claudio Braga put Hearts ahead for the second time with a superb header just after the half-hour mark, and Ibrox were once again stunned into silence before Celmiti equalized again.

The Portuguese striker then became a key figure in the second half, scoring a header to put Rangers ahead for the first time and completing his hat-trick in the closing stages.

How Youssef Chelmiti led Rangers to victory at Ibrox…

Rangers enjoyed more of the ball early on, supported by a raucous home support, but neither team could find their rhythm in the early stages and Hearts were forced to make an early substitution after Oisin McEntee landed awkwardly on his shoulder, replacing Steinwender.

However, that subdued start did not last long, as a melee between Emmanuel Fernandes and Nico Raskin gave the ball to Leonard, who combined well with Braga to wrest the ball back from the Portuguese and fire an unstoppable shot past Jack Butland into the top corner of the goal.

However, just a few minutes later, substitute Steinwender got involved almost immediately and things were completely balanced. Hearts’ goal was scored by Tuur Romans, whose cross hit the back post, but Celmitty was denied by Alexander Schwolo and Mikey Moore’s chase also equalized, but the substitute tried to clear and smashed the ball into his own net.

Rangers tried to put sustained pressure on Hearts with a series of equalizers, but were unable to force Schwolow through before the league leaders turned around after 30 minutes.

Ageu got into some good space in the box but was squeezed in by Tochi Chukwani, but Steinwender delivered a perfect cross to Braga, who, under pressure from John Soutard, fired a powerful header into the bottom corner.

Celmiti then fired a shot from the edge of the box that could not be stopped any further. Andreas Skov Olsen and Ryan Naderi combined well, with Ryan Naderi passing the ball to his strike partner. The opponent picked up a break from a sliding Craig Halkett and smashed the finish into the net.

Alexandros Kyzyridis tested Butland just before half-time, but there were no further goals in Govan’s lively opening 45 minutes. The second half did not start with the same intensity, with both teams waving off penalty appeals before Celmiti took center stage.

The 21-year-old has frustrated some Rangers supporters this season, but he may be developing a knack for scoring big goals in big games, and was on hand to give Rangers the lead for the first time here just before the hour mark.

Andreas Skov Olsen played an inviting ball into the six-yard box, and the Portuguese striker evaded the Hearts defense and headed it into the net.

Rangers’ energy level seemed to decline as the first half progressed, but Hearts struggled to create clear chances. Rangers almost ended the game through Oliver Antman, but Jaydee Gassama made a lung-busting run and eventually fed Chelmity, who finished under Schwolo, with Danny Roll running up the touchline to celebrate.

Roll: Extraordinary Rangers deserve to win

Rangers head coach Danny Rolle told Sky Sports:

“An outstanding, exceptional performance of my team. We showed great character to win the match. Today we gave them two presents, but in the end we came back many times, so we believed in what we were doing. From the first moment to the end, we were the better team and deserved the win today.”

“Since we’ve been here, we’ve seen a group that always strives and wants to improve. They always listened and put in a lot of effort over and over again. The important thing about today was that we were able to maintain our intensity for 94 minutes. Today we found out what it means to fill the stadium and win a big game here.”

On Youssef Cermiti’s hat-trick: “Before the game, we said that big games belong to big teams and big games need big players. Yousef showed it away against Celtic and today he scored again. I always believe in his big power. It was a good team performance, but Youssef deserves a little more recognition today, because he deserves it and today we see why he is here.”

On the race for the Premiership title: “This title race is going to go all the way. We have three teams, everyone is doing their best and we are in the thick of this race, which is great.”

McInnes: Today’s battle has been lost, but there are still wars to be won.

Hearts head coach Derek McInnes told Sky Sports:

“We had a decent game, we just conceded some poor goals. Three of those goals came from us inside the opponent’s half. I think we scored two great goals and had some good moments in the game.”

“Rangers performed at a good level today and the crowd was right behind them. We helped that and didn’t stay in front for too long. We lost the battle today, but there are still battles to be won.”

On competing for the Premiership title: “We are top of the league and there are still a lot of positives. I told the players not to get too down because we have fought hard and worked hard.”

“There will still be ups and downs. For a long period it looked like Celtic were going to drop points. I think that’s how it goes in any round for any team. There’s a lot going on in the title race and in other areas of the league as well.”

“We still feel it’s right for us to give it our all and get Rangers back to Tynecastle.”

Rangers fight back from the brink and roar again in a title race like no other

Alan Valente’s analysis:

It’s no wonder Rangers fans think they’ve seen this movie before. After a tragic event nearly derails the season, the new manager continues to make strides, but his regained momentum quickly crumbles.

After Hearts and Celtic scored late goals, Rangers could have returned to their recent form had they dropped a goal in the final minutes to Motherwell in midweek. Instead, a big win against the league leaders on Sunday would bring them closer to the top, even if there are big challenges ahead.

Under manager Danny Rolle, Rangers have reduced the gap to Hearts from 13 points to just two. That in itself is quite an achievement considering how bad the Ibrox side were before the Germans took over.

The roll refuses to go too high or low, regardless of the outcome. On Sunday night, while fans were still leaving Ibrox, he told Sky Sports he was already thinking about next week’s big game at Livingston. One game at a time may be a cliché, but it’s the belief Steven Gerrard took to bring Rangers their last title in 2021.

Derek McInnes insisted Rangers still have to return to Tynecastle. Hearts will be licking their lips at the prospect of two games in the Old Firm League, but games against the likes of Falkirk, Hibernian and Motherwell have been anything but simple for Rangers this season.

The truth is, this doesn’t look like a campaign in which Brendan Rodgers, Gerrard and Ange Postecoglou’s side are going to devour everything before their eyes. Points will be deducted. There will be twists and turns, and the top six will likely be of very high quality, so the post-split matchup could be one of the most interesting we’ve seen in years.

If there was any doubt before this weekend, we have a fascinating title race ahead of us. A real title race. And Rangers owe a lot to that hat-trick, thanks to Youssef Cermiti’s hat-trick.

See all six goals as Rangers beat Hearts at Ibrox

What will happen in the Scottish Premiership?