Heart of Midlothian and Rangers opened the Scottish Premiership season with a draw that suggests last season’s runners-up remain a work in progress after a summer of turmoil for the visitors.
The two sides were meeting again at Tynecastle after finishing with a 3-3 draw to close the last league season.
Hearts needed a last-minute Kyosuke Tagawa equaliser in May to rescue a point, but this time the side who finished third were unfortunate not to sneak an even contest that indicates they have narrowed the gap with the visitors this summer.
Home head coach Steven Naismith had to be content with a 12th home game without a loss, but it is opposite number Philippe Clement who might be the happier to settle for a point that extends Rangers’ unbeaten run against Hearts to 16 meetings.
Nevertheless, the draw hands champions Celtic an immediate opportunity to end the opening weekend two points clear of two potential top-of-the-table rivals when they host Kilmarnock on Sunday.
Rangers’ pre-season problems on and off the pitch suggested that they arrived in the capital oozing vulnerability.
Within two minutes of a start Clement rated “not good enough”, Lawrence Shankland, the striker who has been linked with Rangers for months, stung the palms of Jack Butland.
It set the tone, with James Penrice forcing the goalkeeper into a fine near-post block, Gerald Taylor set up Shankland for another effort deflected just wide and yet another summer arrival, Yan Dhanda, found the face of the crossbar.
Rangers gradually worked themselves into the game and Connor Barron, the only visiting summer signing to start, had a low drive turned wide by Zander Clark and Cyriel Dessers’ flick found the roof of the net and then the striker fired a shot off the goalkeeper’s legs.
Dessers sent a head off the bar then post from close range after the break then Clark did well to turn a thunderous Tom Lawrence volley over the crossbar.
A low Shankland shot almost sneaked under Butland’s legs and James Tavernier came close to an own goal, but neither side could find the breakthrough as play swung from end to end in the final minutes.
Taylor best of Hearts’ tinkering
Hearts were quick off the mark in the summer transfer market and Naismith added yet another new signing, midfielder Malachi Boateng from Crystal Palace, only hours before kick-off.
They were fastest out of the blocks against Rangers and, although the visitors improved after the break and had chances to win the game themselves, it was the hosts whose strength from the bench ensured they also finished the game the stronger.
In Taylor, they had the most impressive performer on the day and the Costa Rica right-back gave Oscar Cortes a tough time before the Lens winger’s second spell on loan began with him going off injured and frustrated.
Penrice and Dhanda also threatened on their debuts and, although Hearts were denied an opening-day victory for the first time in four years, they did enough to give their fans plenty of to be optimistic about for the rest of the season.
Rangers escape with minimal damage
Clement has been at pains to stress that his squad is in the midst of a major rebuild, despite that lack of new signings in the starting line-up at Tynecastle.
Barron, the 21-year-old former Aberdeen midfielder, did not look out of place on his debut and Czech Republic winger Vaclav Cerny showed promise in a late cameo.
Clement will hope for more additions to come and, despite the loss of two points, will be happy to escape without a defeat that would have been even more damaging to their title hopes – and morale.
Indeed, Rangers were the last team to win at Tynecastle – in December – an indication that points are not easy to come by in Gorgie.
