A FIRST-HALF double from Antonio Colak helped Rangers to an impressive 4-0 victory against Hearts at Tynecastle this afternoon.
Alfredo Morelos and Ryan Kent were also on the scoresheet in Edinburgh as Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side secured three points on the road in the Scottish Premiership.
The Gers boss named two changes from the last league outing against Dundee United two weeks ago as Ben Davies and Rabbi Matondo came into the starting line-up in place of Leon King and Charlie McCann.
Rangers lined-up in the capital with Allan McGregor in goal and a back four of James Tavernier, Connor Goldson, Ben Davies and Borna Barisic.
Ryan Jack, John Lundstram and Scott Arfield were in midfield, with Rabbi Matondo and Ryan Kent providing support to striker Antonio Colak.
A series of corners inside the opening five minutes of the match saw Rangers put pressure on this afternoon’s hosts as the Light Blues looked for an early breakthrough. Ben Davies came closest with the third set-piece as James Tavernier’s ball met the head of centre-back but he was denied by Craig Gordon.
However, the early pressure paid off and Rangers were ahead inside the sixth minute through a fantastic move. Connor Goldson sent a long ball forward which Hearts managed to clear but it was only as far as striker Antonio Colak.
The Croatian took a great touch to release Ryan Kent on the left and he drove forward. With Colak continuing his run into the box, Kent returned the ball to the striker and he headed home for his 10th goal in all competitions so far this season.
Hearts searched for a response as Stephen Humphrys tried a low shot from distance but it was held by Allan McGregor in the Rangers goal.
Gers came so close to doubling their advantage on the 20th minute as James Tavernier was trying to drive Rangers forward, the ball broke for Scott Arfield who took a touch inside the box before curling an effort towards goal but it was just inches wide of Craig Gordon’s right-hand post.
It was a great start at Tynecastle for Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s men and they were two goals to the good just before the half-hour mark. John Lundstram picked out Rabbi Matondo on the right with a long ball forward and the winger did well to cut inside before threading a perfectly weighted ball into the path of Antonio Colak.
The striker showed confidence and composure to slot a low right-footed effort beyond Craig Gordon for his second goal of the afternoon.
Shortly after, Ryan Jack released Matondo who showed his pace as he drove towards goal beating the Hearts defence to the ball but his shot was blocked by Gordon.
Hearts were reduced to 10 men on the 39th minute as Cameron Devlin was shown a straight red card as he lunged in on Rabbi Matondo as the Gers winger was holding the ball up at the touchline.
The Light Blues had the ball in the net for the third time of the afternoon as Scott Arfield touched home a cross from Borna Barisic but Steven McLean blew his whistle for a foul on Hearts goalkeeper Craig Gordon.
Giovanni van Bronckhorst made two changes to his side at the break as Ben Davies and Ryan Jack were replaced by James Sands and Steven Davis.
From a corner, Hearts had a chance to get a goal back early in the second-half as Robert Snodgrass delivered a ball into the box which met the head of Andy Halliday but his header was wide of the post, while at the other end Ryan Kent saw a low strike deflected wide.
With half an hour of game remaining, van Bronckhost made two further changes to his squad as Scott Arfield and goalscorer Antonio Colak made way for Malik Tillman and Alfredo Morelos.
In the 73rd minute, Josh Ginnelly fired wide from distance for Hearts as the second-half substitute looked to make his mark on the game.
Rangers increased their advantage just a few minutes later as Alfredo Morelos added to the tally at Tynecastle. Steven Davis picked out Morelos on the edge of the box and he fed the ball through to James Tavernier. The Gers captain returned the ball to the striker, who had made his way into the box, and he blasted a powerful right-footed shot beyond Craig Gordon.
Fashion Sakala was introduced for the final 10 minutes at Tynecastle as he replaced Rabbi Matondo.
In added time, Rangers were 4-0 ahead as Ryan Kent curled home a lovely strike from just inside the box after getting on the end of a ball from Malik Tillman.
It was a strong display from the Light Blues this afternoon as attention now turns back to UEFA Champions League football with a trip to Anfield to face Liverpool on Tuesday evening.
RANGERS: McGregor, Tavernier, Goldson, Davies (Sands, 46), Barisic, Lundstam, Jack (Davis, 46), Arfield (Tillman, 62), Matondo (Fashion Jr, 79), Kent, Colak (Morelos, 62).
Subs not used: McLaughlin, Ridvan, Wright, King. Hearts: Gordon, Smith, Kingsley (Halliday, 46), Kiomourtzoglou (Grant, 61), Shankland (Ginnelly, 61), Devlin, Forrest (Haring, 44), McKay (Snodgrass, 46), Cochrane, Neilson, Humphrys. Subs not used: Stewart, Mackay-Steven, Atkinson, Sibbick. Referee: Steven Mclean
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