IF Hearts thought they had the monopoly on football-related misery then they learnt otherwise at Tynecastle today.
Alex McLeish’s men enjoyed the lion’s share of possession in a turbulent tussle at Tynecastle but were found wanting when presented with scoring chances in front of goal.
It could have been worse for Rangers when Paul Hartley was presented with a golden chance three minutes from time but, faced with the whites of Stefan Klos’ eyes, he blazed a header over the crossbar from Alan Maybury’s diagonal ball.
McLeish must now raise his side for the tricky trip to Madeira to face SC Maritimo in the UEFA Cup on Thursday before returning to face Inverness Caley at Ibrox next Sunday.
Defeat in Edinburgh for McLeish’s men was unthinkable if they still harboured ambitions of securing their 51st league title and they made a positive start at a blustery Tynecastle.
The Light Blues welcomed Chris Burke into the starting line-up after recovering from a viral infection while Mo Ross slotted in at right-back with Alan Hutton sidelined with ankle ligament damage.
Victory was imperative for both sides ahead of their UEFA Cup ties later in the week – both against Portuguese opposition – and the ferocity of the challenges and the frenetic pace of the game served to underline that intent.
With neither side being allowed much breathing space in their opponents’ penalty box, Rangers tried their luck from distance as Paolo Vanoli and Dragan Mladenovic both watched powerful drives blocked.
Vanoli was enjoying the freedom of a left midfield role and it was the Italian who enjoyed the first real chance of the game, spearing in a left-footed effort from 25 yards that Craig Gordon parried more by luck than design.
Hearts had been able to welcome the towering figure of Mark de Vries into their starting line-up for the first time this season and the Dutch striker proved to be a persistent menace to the Rangers defence.
Only a fantastic save from Stefan Klos – diving low to his right – denied de Vries the opening goal after 17 minutes after he had manoeuvred himself into a dangerous position 12 yards from goal.
This was a scrappy but absorbing affair as both sides poured forward looking to carve their way through two watertight defences.
Burke was menacing on his first outing since the opening day of the season and he was next to threaten as he weaved his way to the edge of the penalty box before launching a shot across the face of the goal that drifted just wide of target.
The 20 year-old was again at the centre of Rangers’ best first-half chance after 34 minutes. The sprightly winger curled a free kick to the back post where Nacho Novo, unmarked, contrived to head the ball past the post when it had looked easier to score.
The Light Blues were the dominant force by that stage and Gordon did well to clutch a Mladenovic free kick after Vanoli had been unceremoniously chopped down by Steven Pressley.
The Hearts supporters continued their anti-Murrayfield protest at half-time when they released a multitude of black balloons and they were further enraged when Ross went in late on Alan Maybury early in the second half with the Rangers man picking up a yellow card.
Both sides made changes up front – Shota Arveladze on for Novo and Neil Janczyk for the tiring de Vries – and it was Arveladze who passed up a golden opportunity to break the deadlock.
Burke was again the creator, switching play on to his left foot before sending in a spiralling cross that the Georgian striker somehow headed off target with the goal at his mercy.
Hearts had switched to a 4-5-1 formation with the departure of de Vries, with Graham Weir asked to lead the line alone up front and the young striker had a great chance in the latter stages to steal the points but scooped his shot into the arms of Klos with Phil Stamp unmarked to his right.
Hartley’s miss at the death was a let-off for Rangers but it was scant consolation for McLeish and his men.
RANGERS (4-4-2): 1 Klos; 21 Ross, 4 Boumsong, 3 Moore, 24 Vignal; 17 Burke, 14 Mladenovic, 2 Ricksen, 16 Vanoli (Lovenkrands 69); 9 Prso (Thompson 69), 10 Novo (Arveladze 55)
Subs not used: Smith, Andrews, Davidson, McCormack
Booked: Ross (56), Thompson (75), Moore (90)
HEARTS (4-4-2): 1 Gordon; 12 Neilson, 4 Pressley, 6 Webster, 2 Maybury; 10 Hartley, 8 Stamp, 3 Kisnorbo (Macfarlane 87), 19 Hamill (McAllister 84); 9 de Vries (Janczyk 62), 17 Weir
Subs not used: Moilanen, Wyness, Berra, Stewart
Booked: Pressley (38), Maybury (53), Hartley (89), Neilson (90)
Man of the Match: Chris Burke