Rangers 5-0 Hearts: Philippe Clement hails 'unity' of his side as they extend lead at top
- Published
Oscar Cortes' first Rangers goal doubled the home side's lead at a fever-pitch Ibrox
Philippe Clement praised the "solidarity and unity" of his Rangers side as they extended their lead at the Scottish Premiership summit by ending Hearts' 12-game unbeaten run with a devastating five-goal display.
Given the form of the visitors, Clement said a victory would be "a really big statement" - and his players delivered a performance the Ibrox manager labelled as "one of the best" of his tenure.
Mohamed Diomande lashed in from 20 yards for the second time in as many games to calm any nerves in the home crowd within just two minutes.
Fellow January signing Oscar Cortes then curled in his first Rangers goal with a delightful finish from similar range before Cyriel Dessers' cushioned side-foot volley rounded off a blistering first-half showing.
Hearts were totally overwhelmed for the majority of the opening 45 minutes, failing to register a shot on target, and found themselves four down just after the restart when Dessers smashed in from yards out.
The away side felt the Nigerian had handled the ball before scoring, but the officials had no issue with the Rangers striker's 16th goal of the season.
Off the bench, Fabio Silva completed the rout by drilling in a fantastic reverse pass from John Lundstram, who was superb throughout in midfield.
"The atmosphere was amazing from the first second to the last," said Clement, whose side are now five points clear at the top.
"I'm really happy with the team, with the performances, the attitude. This is not something falling out of the sky, this is what we have been doing for weeks and months on the training pitch."
Steven Naismith's men, who ought to have scored at least once through Lawrence Shankland or Kenneth Vargas, created a lot of their own problems but were forced into many more by rampant Rangers.
The result turns up the heat on Celtic, who are away to Motherwell on Sunday, while Hearts remain third with an 11-point cushion.
Player of the match - John Lundstram
Not on the scoresheet, but the Rangers midfielder, who continues to shine under Clement, dictated play from start to finish and capped off another flawless display with a brilliant assist
Rangers save major showing for 'major game' - analysis
A "major game" was how Clement described this one before kick-off. A major performance from his team followed, as did a major message to their title rivals.
But for some top saves from Hearts goalkeeper Zander Clark, who denied fine efforts from James Tavernier and Silva, the scoreline could have been greater in a 10th straight win for the league leaders.
While Celtic fans continue to vent about their side's January business, the Rangers support will be hugely encouraged by theirs after goals from each of the Ibrox club's three winter recruits.
Make no mistake, Hearts could have defended, and used the ball, so much better.
But even at their best they would have most likely still found themselves on the wrong end of the result given Rangers' standard.
Shankland, who hit the inside of the far post with a second-half header, was nullified for the most part as the away side spent the majority of the game chasing blue shirts about the Ibrox pitch.
What they said
Rangers manager Philippe Clement: "Whoever is starting or coming in is doing a job for the team. We need to continue what we've been doing until the end of the season.
"My dressing room is humble, they know what to do. I will keep a close eye to make sure it stays that way."
Hearts head coach Steven Naismith: "Going into the game we understood what it was going to be like. You could tell Rangers were really aggressive from the start.
"It was defined in the small details with us giving away cheap opportunities. When you're playing against a team top of the league who have got quality, they are going to punish you."
What's next?
Both sides are in midweek action on Wednesday (19:45 GMT) as Hearts host Edinburgh rivals Hibernian while Rangers travel to Kilmarnock.