Rangers 5-0 Hearts: Van Bronckhorst hails his side's Old Firm reaction as Ramsey makes debut in thumping win
- Published
Watch all 16 goals from the weekend's Scottish Premiership matches
Rangers boss Giovanni van Bronckhorst hailed his side's reaction to a chastening midweek Old Firm derby defeat as they thumped Hearts to prevent Celtic extending their one-point Scottish Premiership lead.
Aaron Ramsey made his much-anticipated debut as the influential Alfredo Morelos netted in each half on his return to the side before teeing up Glen Kamara to score.
Scott Arfield then added a well-taken fourth and Fashion Sakala rounded off the rout with a neat finish.
Ramsey, the Juventus loanee and marquee January addition, was given the final 14 minutes by Van Bronckhorst, and with his side 4-0 up, could scarcely have dreamed of an easier debut against the side now 16 points back in third spot.
"We are very pleased, its a big win for us," Ibrox boss Van Bronckhorst told Sky Sports post-match. "The way we won and the attitude we showed, I'm really happy, it's a good reaction."
"The key is to keep performing game in and game out, that's the key to the way we want to play. We have to keep this energy and there's a good chance to win [the league]."
This was a game in which Morelos underlined his importance, a day when the striker's influence, dynamism and class told again and again.
In the three matches they played while he was an unused member of the Colombia squad, Rangers have laboured. They have missed their attacking fulcrum dearly.
Many of the 50,000 inside Ibrox on Sunday will have wondered why his country took him halfway across the world not only to leave him out of their line-ups, but out of the match-day squads altogether.
In any case, Van Bronckhorst will rejoice at his return - not least after the meek and wounding nature of the defeat at Celtic Park on Wednesday.
Morelos laced a bustling performance with bright flashes of subtlety. His goals were ruthlessly dispatched, the first stemming from a sumptuous Calvin Bassey pass and Ryan Kent delivery; the second an emphatic left-foot curler from the edge of the box.
If it was fortuitous that Morelos' attempted through-ball ricocheted straight back to his feet, then the striker did enough to earn his stroke of luck, and was deadly enough to seize it. The third, coolly taken by Kamara, was a product of the Colombian's terrific flick.
His link-up play throughout was first-class and repeatedly put Hearts' central defence - devoid of Craig Halkett and Rangers-bound John Souttar - under duress. He bamboozled them with his footwork and steamrolled Taylor Moore en route to the box when only Craig Gordon denied him a hat-trick. The Hearts custodian did so again with virtually the final act of the match.
Morelos' second, though, had been the pivotal moment. For if Rangers had come flying out of the traps in the first half, they began the second still asleep in them.
Trailing 1-0, Hearts could have been level when Nathaniel Atkinson could not convert a glorious Stephen Kingsley ball, and really should have been when Bassey's terribly weak header fell short of Allan McGregor, and Cammy Devlin scooped wide.
Ibrox grew volatile and riven with angst, much of it aimed at Willie Collum, the referee.
But with one sweep of his left boot, Morelos eased the anxiety boiling in home ranks. With a twitch of his right, he sent Kamara screaming into the box, where the Finn dummied one flailing defender and slotted home.
Rangers applied lashings of icing to their cake late on, Arfield finishing at the second attempt after a super Kent pick-out, and Sakala converting neatly with six minutes left.
Beating Hearts - even beating them 5-0 - does not salve the wounds inflicted by Celtic, but after flat-lining on Wednesday, Rangers' pulse is strong again.
Man of the match - Alfredo Morelos
Two goals, an assist, and very nearly a hat-trick. An irrepressible return to domestic action.
What did we learn?
Rangers' mentality has been questioned this season, by outsiders and their own.
After smithereening Celtic's bid for 10 in a row, did they have it within themselves to go again? As recently as November, when Hibernian dumped them out of the League Cup, Connor Goldson said he felt his team had "lost a bit of hunger".
They needed to prove their mettle on Sunday after what Celtic did to them. This was a resounding response.
Hearts will be crestfallen at how badly this ended for them. Though Rangers bossed the game, there were chances out there, but the Edinburgh side couldn't take them.
Their moments to grab the game by the scruff arrived early in that second half. Their ambition, build-up play and cohesion was laudable; their finishing was not.
What they said
Hearts manager Robbie Neilson on Sky Sports: "I actually thought we started the second half quite well and created some good chances, but when we lost the second we just sort of capitulated a bit.
"It's disappointing. When you come to any good team, you need to take your chances and we had two or three."
What's next?
Rangers host Hearts' Edinburgh rivals Hibernian on Wednesday (19:45 GMT) while Robbie Neilson's men welcome Dundee at the same time.