Hearts 0 Rangers 4

By Jon West, PA Sport

Rangers regained leadership of the Bank of Scotland Premier League from Old Firm rivals Celtic with a 4-0 victory at Hearts on an afternoon when controversy was never too far away.

The visitors extended their 100% league record to six games thanks to two goals each from Shota Arveladze and Peter Lovenkrands.

The home side ended the game with 10 men when goalkeeper Tepi Moilanen was forced off with a head injury and Rangers winger Nuno Capucho was barracked for the second week running following more unsportsmanlike behaviour.

The home fans' fury was vented for the first time in only the third minute when Hearts appeared to have been denied a genuine penalty appeal.

Zura Khizanishvili was the lucky man as he had been turned by Mark de Vries and after both players had hit the turf, the defender seemed to pull back his opponent to prevent him reaching the loose ball.

The same two players were involved in a similar incident not long afterwards, but although de Vries thumped the turf in anger with his huge fists, it seemed that referee Stuart Dougal had been on much safer ground with that decision to wave play on.

There were chances at both ends with Capucho failing to hit the target from an inviting position in the box and, at the other end, de Vries seeing a better-aimed effort from close range blocked by Emerson.

Neil MacFarlane blasted the rebound over and de Vries was guilty of the same offence when Scott Severin had made a near-post flick on from a corner to unhinge the Rangers defence.

Dennis Wyness was booked for a late challenge on Maurice Ross before Arveladze came close with a free-kick he had won himself, with his effort fooling some of the Rangers fans at the other end into thinking it had actually gone in.

Emerson fired into the side-netting from a difficult angle before Hearts goalkeeper Moilenen pulled off a fine reflex stop from Michael Mols to deny the Dutchman a 35th-minute opener after Capucho had pulled the ball back from the right of the box.

The Finn was needed to make a save from Arveladze seconds later, but was given no chance in the final minute of the half after the Georgian had been set up by Emerson to crown a move which had also involved Michael Ball and Mols with a rising drive.

By that time Phil Stamp had been booked for barging over Rangers goalkeeper Stefan Klos and there was still enough time before the break for Hearts to endure another forlorn penalty shout, with Severin the player who felt he had been impeded in a crowded box.

Rangers took a firm grip on the game from the restart and it was just a matter of when the second goal would arrive.

Lovenkrands, the midweek conqueror of Stuttgart, was the man who provided it in the 51st minute when he timed a run into the box to perfection to meet a Ross cross from the right with his head, with Moilanen given no chance.

Hearts were deflated and Craig Levein performed immediate surgery by taking off the rookie Joe Hamill and putting Andy Kirk on as an extra frontman.

MacFarlane was booked for a foul on Lovenkrands, who almost set up Mols for a third after Mikel Arteta had sent him clear down the left.

But the striker could not connect as the ball came across the box.

Hearts made another change, with winger Jean-Louis Valois coming on for Wyness in the 62nd minute as the home side searched for a way back into the match.

Stamp thought he had provided it when he went down in the box under an Arteta challenge, but once again referee Douglas was having none of it and the home fans, who had been subdued for a while, howled in protest.

Arveladze made it 3-0 in the 71st minute with the simplest of tap-ins after Moilanen had pulled off a fine save to deny Emerson.

The Brazilian had waited for the ball to come to him on the edge of the area before launching a venomous drive goalwards and the Finn leaped to tip it on to his left-hand post. The ball bounced back into the box, however, and no defender was present to stop the Georgian netting his second of the day.

That was game over of course, but there was still time for a little extra controversy, with Capucho the man at the centre.

The winger had been accused of diving in an unsuccessful attempt to win a penalty against Dunfermline last week - and this time was accused of making a meal of a Valois challenge.

Patrick Kisnorbo let him know exactly what he thought of it and Capucho got up to argue the toss before deciding his leg was too painful and toppling to the turf once more.

The Australian was booked for his unsporting conduct as the home fans bayed "cheat" and Rangers handed a debut to Egil Ostenstad, who replaced Mols up front.

Hearts' misfortune continued right to the end when Moilanen was hurt in a collision with Egil Ostenstad which saw Lovenkrands net the loose ball to make it 4-0.

The Finn was too dazed to continue, so Severin went in goal for the final moments.

Teams:

Hearts (0) 0 Rangers (1) 4

Hearts Moilanen, Maybury, Pressley, Webster, MacFarlane, Severin, Stamp, Kisnorbo, Hamill (Kirk 54), de Vries (McKenna 87), Wyness (Valois 62).

Subs Not Used: Gordon, Boyack.

Booked: Wyness, Stamp, Kisnorbo.

Rangers Klos, Ross, Berg, Ball, Capucho, Arteta, Khizanishvili, Arveladze, Mols (Ostenstad 75), Lovenkrands, Emerson.

Subs Not Used: McGregor, Malcolm, Vanoli, Hughes.

Booked: Klos.

Goals: Arveladze 45, Lovenkrands 51, Arveladze 73, Lovenkrands 89.

Att: 14,732

Ref: S Dougal (Scotland).

Taken from sportinglife.com