RANGERS’ final cinch Premiership fixture of the 2023/24 season became a dead rubber on Wednesday night when Celtic beat Kilmarnock at Rugby Park to move six points clear of them at the top of the table with one game remaining.
There was, though, no chance of the Ibrox club downing tools and going through the motions in their encounter with Hearts at Tynecastle this afternoon with the Scottish Gas Scottish Cup final against their city rivals coming up a Hampden a week today.
Philippe Clement and his players – winners of the Viaplay Cup back in December – can still complete a memorable double and end what has been another challenging campaign on a high if they defeat the newly-crowned Scottish champions in their final outing.
So James Tavernier and his team mates, emphatic 5-2 victors over Dundee in Govan on Wednesday night, were determined to pick up all three points and maintain their momentum as they took to the field in sun-drenched Gorgie before kick-off.
It was not to be.
Lawrence Shankland gave Hearts the lead in the first-half only for Rangers to fight back with goals from Ross McCausland, Todd Cantwell and substitute Fabio Silva in the second.
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But Dexter Lembikisa netted in the closing stages to give the hosts hope of salvaging a draw and his fellow replacement Kyosuke Tagawa levelled in injury time with a screamer.
Here are five talking points from the six goal thriller that left Rangers eight points off top spot.
Hot and cold Cantwell
Clement, with half an eye on the cup final, made two changes to his starting line-up. Left-back Ridvan Yilmaz and forward Silva both dropped out and Robbie Fraser and Scott Wright came in.
Yilmaz and Silva, along with John Lundstram, Dujon Sterling and possibly Abdallah Sima, should be brought back at Hampden if fit and available. However, it was an opportunity for their understudies, as well as every player in the visitors’ side, to stake a claim for a place in the side at Hampden.
Raskin was industrious, covered every blade of grass on the park. Wright made some powerful runs and posed a threat in the final third. McCausland, meanwhile, did superbly to level proceedings.
Cantwell, left on the bench at Parkhead last weekend, was far from his best in the opening 45 minutes. The playmaker’s slack pass in the middle of the park was pounced on by Yutaro Oda and led to the opening goal.
The Japanese winger played a defence-splitting pass through to Shankland and his skipper advanced before dinking the ball coolly over the advancing Rangers goalkeeper Jack Butland.
Player of the Year
Shankland’s sublime strike took the Scotland internationalist’s tally for club and country to 32 and showed why he has scooped both the PFA Scotland and Scottish Football Writers’ Association Player of the Year awards this month.
The prolific 28-year-old was preferred up front to Che Adams and Lyndon Dykes when the national team took on the Netherlands in a friendly in Amsterdam back in March and will be hoping get the nod ahead of his compatriots at the Euro 2024 finals in Germany next month.
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Steve Clarke was watching from the main stand and he will have seen a player in the form of his life.
Dessers off day
How many goals would Shankland have scored this term if he had been leading the line for Rangers in the past 10 months? More than Cyriel Dessers, that is for sure.
The Nigerian internationalist has had some excellent games and pitched in with some important goals at home and abroad since arriving in a £4.5m transfer from Cremonese in Italy last summer.
But the man who has been on target 23 times this season is prone to the occasional off day and this was one of them. He passed up several gilt-edged chances and prompted the Hearts fans to start chanting, ‘You’re just a s**** Lawrence Shankland.’ His profligacy cost his side the triumph.
Fraser start
This has been quite a week for young Fraser. The 21-year-old defender came off the bench to make his first team debut for Rangers in midweek and he was handed his first start today. Having spent no fewer than 14 years in the Ibrox club’s system, his involvement is proof that perseverance pays off.
Far too few kids have emerged at Auchenhowie in recent years, but there were three youth team graduates on the park today. Leon King slotted in at centre-half in the continued absence of Leon Balogun, Connor Goldson and John Souttar and McCausland retained his place on the right wing.
Fraser had his work cut out containing Oda. But he more than justified his selection. He was composed in possession, showed good physicality and got upfield when the game allowed him to. On this evidence, he could feature more in future.
There will be numerous departures and arrivals at the Glasgow outfit once again this summer. Clement, who has a track record of bringing through talented youngsters, should seriously consider giving home-grown talent more game time.
Hearts high
Hearts’ form has left much to be desired of late. The capital club had won just one of their previous five matches going into their final game of the season. Sewing up third place in the Premiership and qualification for the Europa League play-off round has been a factor in that.
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Steven Naismith was keen for his charges to bow out on a positive note. He pointed out that they had the chance to reach 70 points and beat every team in the division with a win in the build-up to the showdown.
Victory eluded them. But they showed great heart to secure a point. Shankland and his team mates were rightly applauded by their supporters for their efforts after referee Don Robertson had blown the final whistle.
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