Hearts top at Christmas after beating Rangers as McInnes calls for continued improvement

Hearts moved to the top of the Scottish Premiership at Christmas after a 2-1 win over Rangers at Tynecastle, extending their position at the summit and leaving them six points clear of Celtic and 12 ahead of Rangers at the halfway mark of the season. The result also marks the first time Hearts have defeated both halves of the Old Firm home and away since they last won the title in 1959-60, with Stuart Findlay and Lawrence Shankland delivering a four-minute swing in the first half before Youssef Chermiti struck late for Rangers as a consolation.

Stuart Findlay opened the scoring, with Shankland doubling the lead four minutes later as Hearts seized the initiative and took control before the interval. Chermiti pulled one back for Rangers in the final minutes, but Hearts held on to seal the points at Tynecastle. [Image: ]

Derek McInnes said Hearts deserved to be top at Christmas and stressed that there remains work to do to sustain the position. "I keep hearing about how poor other teams are," he said. "But our points tally is exactly where it should be for a team who should be top of the league. People seem to think that we are only top of the league because of the failings of others. We’re just concentrating on ourselves. We’ve still got that fight to improve. I genuinely feel we’re going to have to improve if we’re going to make it the season we want it to be. But listen, we’re almost at the halfway stage. I’m really pleased with what the players have given us. I’ve been encouraged from day one, to be honest."

McInnes added that the growing expectation among supporters is for Hearts to be competitive throughout the campaign. "I want us to be relevant. I don’t want us just to see the season out and think of what it could have been. I actually just want us to keep playing important games. And as we go along, I expect others to improve. I think there’s a lot of good teams in the league. We’re really encouraged about where we’ve come from last season to this season. We’ve taken huge steps forward. That’s a testament to everybody at the club, from the board, the supporters, the players and staff, where everybody’s just working for the same thing. We do need to improve. We need to be smart with our recruitment. We need to come out of January stronger again. But the players and myself, we all need to get better as the season goes along."

The Hearts manager said he was delighted with the current group and stressed that every match remains a test. "I’ve got such a strong belief that we have got such a good team here. We’ve got a good thing going. I’m also aware that every game is tough. I expected us to win today. I did. We’re exactly where we want to be."

Rangers boss Danny Rohl, meanwhile, was left frustrated by the turn in the game after a promising start. "We missed a big opportunity today, this is hard to take," he said. "I spoke about the steps, today it was more a sidestep than a step forward. Football is not about ifs, it’s about the result and today we couldn’t win. We were really good in the game, unlucky with this tight offside decision (against Bojan Miovski). But then we had four minutes and it cost us something." Rohl also defended Jack Butland, after the goalkeeper’s errors were punished for both Hearts goals. "If you make a mistake in a No10 position, centre-forward, winger position, the consequence is not so huge. If you make it in the last line, or by the goalkeeper’s decision-making, then there’s a big impact. Jack gives us a lot of points," he said, noting that such lapses can define matches in football.

The result leaves Hearts at the midway point with momentum and a lead that increases expectations around Tynecastle. The side will look to maintain their form as they head into a busy spell, with a trip to Easter Road coming up on Saturday to face their rivals in a crucial league fixture. As McInnes and his team prepare for the second half of the season, the emphasis remains on improvement and consistency, with supporters hoping the club can sustain this early-season surge rather than fade as the campaign progresses.