Hearts 2-1 Rangers: Findley and Shankland move leaders nine points clear

Hearts inflicted Rangers’ first Scottish Premiership away defeat of 2025, after holding on for a 2-1 win at Tynecastle.

With second-place Celtic playing Aberdeen later on Sunday, Derek McInnes’ league leaders took full advantage to move nine points clear at the summit.

Rangers thought they had taken the lead in the 11th minute when Bojan Miovski turned the ball in from close range, but the goal was ruled out for offside following a VAR review.

Nicolas Raskin then headed a decent opportunity over, before Hearts broke the deadlock in the 38th minute when Stuart Findley powered home a header from Alexandros Kyziridis’ cross.

It was 2-0 just four minutes later, as Lawrence Shankland drilled past Jack Butland from a tight angle, and the division’s top scorer went close to netting again after the break.

Rangers could not find a response until the fifth minute of stoppage time, when Youssef Chermiti reduced the deficit, but Hearts held on for another crucial three points.

Three points for Christmaspic.twitter.com/hxeEiaM11h

— Heart of Midlothian FC (@JamTarts) December 21, 2025

Data Debrief: A rare double for Hearts

Following their 2-0 win in September, Hearts claimed back-to-back Scottish Premiership victories over Rangers for the first time since April 1996.

Beating Rangers at home for the first time in eight attempts, McInnes’ side remain unbeaten in all 12 league games at Tynecastle this season.

Hearts are the first side to win four consecutive top-flight clashes with the two Old Firm clubs (excluding Rangers and Celtic themselves) since Dundee in 1985.

Meanwhile, this marks only the fourth time Rangers have suffered both their first two league defeats in a Scottish Premiership season against the same opponent, having also done so in 1936-37 (Hearts), 1990-91 (Dundee United), and 2001-02 (Celtic).