The Edinburgh side were left stunned by the hour-mark as three goals inside the opening quarter of an hour in the second half, comprising a brace from James Tavernier and well-taken strike from Scott Wright, maintained Philippe Clement’s unbeaten start to life as Rangers boss.
Indeed, 14 goals have now been plundered in Clement’s opening five matches in the dugout, ten of which have arrived in a prolific week for the Light Blues in front of goal.
Tavernier’s brace took the captain’s goal tally to six goals in his previous six games, with the Ibrox side now set to meet Aberdeen in the final of the competition on Sunday December 17 in Glasgow’s southside.
There wasn’t much to separate the sides in the opening exchanges, although the Gers took early authority in the contest when a searching diagonal pass from Connor Goldson was taken down impeccably by Abdallah Sima. The Senegalese forward had the presence of mind to find Danilo on the overlap just inside the penalty area, but the Brazilian’s finish was fired off target from a tight angle.
The attacking rotations which Clement has preached in his media duties were then in full flow moments later as a Ryan Jack pass infield found Danilo via a clever feint from Todd Cantwell, with the return pass in the forward’s direction falling on his unfavoured side before it cleared Zander Clark’s crossbar.
Rangers were beginning to ratchet up the intensity as, less than 60 seconds later, Clark was forced into a reflex stop from close-range when James Tavernier skipped beyond Kye Rowles on the byline and stood a delicious cross up for Sima to nod towards goal.
Clement’s men were looking particularly dangerous down the right-hand side, encapsulated neatly when Tavernier’s near post delivery was headed goalwards by Cantwell but comfortably into the hands of the grateful Clark.
Hearts’ forays forward had been fleeting – especially when it came to endangering the Gers penalty area – as Leon Balogun was forced to hack Toby Sibbick’s driven effort away only moments after Cantwell had worked Clark down the opposite end once again following another piece of smart link-up play with Danilo.
Sima was next to go close for the Gers as he met Borna Barisic’s outswinging corner in a mix of bodies 10 yards out, but the forward could only steer his header wide of the target.
The half-time interval prompted a change from Clement as Scott Wright, who impressed in the midweek win in Dundee, replaced Cantwell.
And Rangers wasted precious little time in making their mark after the teams re-emerged as Danilo’s endeavour earned the Ibrox side a spot-kick within four minutes of the restart. John Lundstram’s header in midfield didn’t appear to put Hearts in any immediate danger, but a short headed backpass from Rowles allowed the Brazilian to steal a march on Clark who was forced to bring him down. The captain assumed penalty duties and made no mistake from 12 yards as he left Clark rooted to the spot.
The contest then pivoted on a two-minute spell moments later. Frankie Kent’s header appeared destined to crash into the top corner were it not for the supreme intervention of Jack Butland, proving the cue for Rangers to advance down the opposite end and bring the Mount Florida end of Hampden to its feet for the second time inside ten second half minutes.
Again, Hearts thought they had quelled the danger when Sima was dispossessed, but Ryan Jack was quick to pounce upon the loose ball and feed a pass into Danilo. The Light Blues were then able to create a two-versus-one situation on the far side, allowing substitute Wright to hare in and slam a finish into the bottom corner which evoked memories of his extra time strike against the same opponents in the Scottish Cup final last year.
Stephen Kingsley would try his luck from the edge of the penalty area moments later, requiring Butland to be at his acrobatic best to tip the ball round for a corner.
And Clement’s side duly put the game beyond doubt, and one foot in next month’s final, on the stroke of the hour-mark. Wright appeared to be weaving his way into the danger area when he was impeded en route by Rowles; Tavernier stepping up to dispatch a gorgeous free-kick into the top corner to leave Clark with no chance for the second time in the half.
Wright was unfortunate not to grab his second goal of the afternoon when he met Sima’s cross from the left, stabbing his effort inches wide of the post from a central position inside the danger area.
A consolation would arrive for the Edinburgh side with nine minutes remaining as Lawrence Shankland dispatched from the penalty spot after Kingsley was adjudged to have been fouled by Ben Davies.
The fourth official signalled six minutes of additional time as the atmosphere continued to crackle in the Rangers end of Hampden, with the sound of referee Nick Walsh’s full-time whistle ushering in a first cup final of the campaign, at the first time of asking no less, for the Light Blues this campaign.
HEARTS: Clark, Kent, Rowles, Kingsley, Sibbick (Oda, 60), Nieuwenhof (Denholm, 85), Baningime (Devlin, 73), Grant (Forrest, 60), Cochrane, Vargas (Boyce, 73), Shankland
Subs not used: McGovern, Haring, Halliday, Forrester
RANGERS: Butland, Tavernier (Sterling, 90), Goldson, Balogun (Davies, 76), Barisic, Jack, Lundstram, Lammers (Lawrence, 76), Cantwell (Wright, 45), Sima, Danilo (Dessers, 76)
Subs not used: McCrorie, Ridvan, Cifuentes, McCausland
REFEREE: Nick Walsh