Rangers end Hearts' third-place hopes after draw

Rangers ended Hearts' hopes of claiming 3rd spot successful the Scottish Premiership arsenic they drew 2-2 to decorativeness the play unbeaten astatine Ibrox.

Lawrence Shankland headed the visitors up successful the first-minute arsenic they looked to support up the unit connected Aberdeen supra them.

Todd Cantwell and Fashion Sakala scored either broadside of fractional time, arsenic Rangers looked to triumph connected Allan McGregor, Alfredo Morelos and Scott Arfield's last Ibrox appearances.

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Substitute Garang Kuol scored a stoppage-time equaliser for Hearts, who request to debar decision to Hibs successful their last crippled to unafraid a spot successful the Europa Conference League qualifiers.

Rangers, who volition beryllium runners-up down Celtic, decorativeness their play with a travel to St Mirren connected Saturday but already readying is nether mode for adjacent term.

Rangers unbeaten astatine Ibrox

The Light Blues announced earlier the crippled that 25-year-old midfielder Kieran Dowell would beryllium joining the nine from Norwich.

The nine besides asked fans to enactment down to wage tribute to McGregor, Morelos, Ryan Kent, Arfield and Filip Helander, each of whom volition permission successful the summer.

McGregor and Morelos started the crippled but ideas that it would beryllium simply a sentimental nighttime of reflection ended wrong seconds, pursuing a agelong propulsion into the Rangers punishment country from Hearts defender James Hill.

Jambos midfielder Peter Haring helped it on, Rangers skipper James Tavernier tried to clear, but the shot fell for Shankland whose header deed team-mate Josh Ginnelly and rebounded for him to bundle implicit the enactment from 2 yards.

After a agelong VAR cheque referee John Beaton pointed to the centre ellipse and Hearts were officially successful front.

Minutes aboriginal Haring sent Ginnelly done and his thrust aft turning defender Leon King was beaten distant by McGregor.

It was not the commencement the location fans expected and the Rangers absorption was hesitant.

Hearts keeper Zander Clark had to woody with King's long-range thrust which deflected disconnected Hill and Nicolas Raskin's thunderbolt from region earlier tipping a Sakala thrust connected to the station and behind.

Jambos interim brag Steven Naismith, a erstwhile Rangers striker, was booked for throwing connected a shot to discarded clip conscionable earlier the interval but determination was clip for Cantwell to get the interruption of the shot disconnected Hill to tally done and confidently slot the shot past Clark, with Morelos carrying connected a feud with Naismith that had lasted a fewer minutes.

Two minutes aft the restart Sakala took vantage of a slack header by defender Toby Sibbick astatine the borderline of the container to compression the shot past Clark, with the backtracking Hill incapable to support it out.

In the 64th infinitesimal Arfield got a immense cheer from the location fans erstwhile helium came connected arsenic substitute on with Rabbi Matondo, with Glen Kamara and King making way.

Arfield's curling changeable from the borderline of the container successful the 73rd infinitesimal was pushed down by Clark and the visitors survived the corner, albeit they seemed to beryllium moving retired of belief.

Arfield had a changeable from six yards blocked by Clark earlier Cantwell fired the rebound wide of the target.

Morelos got his acclaim erstwhile helium was replaced by Scott Wright and the location broadside spurned much opportunities arsenic the crippled fizzled out, lone for Kuol, connected for Alan Forrest successful the 83rd minute, to pounce astatine the extremity to spoil the party.

Beale: It was an affectional nighttime astatine Ibrox

Rangers brag Michael Beale:

"Crazy archetypal minute, brainsick past minute. In betwixt that we played immoderate bully football. In the archetypal fractional you could spot they were up for it successful each tackle, determination were a batch of stoppages successful the crippled and a spot of time-wasting arsenic well.

"You could spot what it meant for them.

"We past scored a fantastic extremity connected half-time which was conscionable astir close and I thought 2nd fractional we dominated the game. We got ourselves 2-1 successful beforehand and we missed galore bully chances, with our past walk letting america down.

"We conscionable got a small spot escaped determination astatine the extremity but it's been an affectional evening and a unusual evening arsenic you saw with the fans and 1 oregon 2 players.

"We spell distant with an unbeaten location league record. We are going to request 1 adjacent twelvemonth and prime up a fewer much points distant from location if we are going to beryllium wherever we request to be."

Naismith: We gave them inexpensive chances

Hearts brag Steven Naismith:

"It was entertaining. It was a substance of emotions due to the fact that determination were immoderate truly bully moments successful the crippled for america but past we conceded 2 truly brushed goals.

"It's truly disappointing due to the fact that we've not had to inquire them to marque hard decisions to interruption america down oregon make with large chances. We gave them inexpensive chances and they took them.

"The affirmative portion is that we came with a benignant of play, we tried to play successful that mode we were disciplined retired of possession. I felt we were brave passim the 90 minutes but conscionable lacked that cutting borderline and went close to the end."

What's next?

Rangers' last Scottish Premiership crippled of the play is distant to St Mirren connected Saturday, portion Hearts big Hibernian.

Both matches footwear disconnected astatine 12.30pm.