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Hearts strengthened their grip on top spot by beating Rangers 2-1 at Tynecastle and dashing visitors William Hill’s hopes of making it into the Premiership title race.
Danny Rohl’s side arrived in Edinburgh buoyed by an 11-match unbeaten run in the league, but were defeated by first-half goals from Stuart Findlay and captain Lawrence Shankland before Youssef Chermity’s stoppage-time consolation.
Hearts have won all four of their matches against Celtic and Rangers this season as their quest to end the Glasgow giants’ 40-year monopoly on the Scottish top flight gathers pace.
Already looking assured of being the first non-Old Firm team to top the table on Christmas Day since 1993, Derek McInnes’s side made two changes to their defense as Frankie Kent and Stephen Kingsley replaced the injured Craig Halkett and the suspended Harry Milne.
Gers – unbeaten in the league since losing to Hearts at home in mid-September – made three changes to the team that started in Monday’s win over Hibernian, as Nasser Ziga, Chermiti and Findlay Curtis made way for James Tavernier, Nico Raskin and Bojan Miovski.
After a disappointing opening 10 minutes, the Ibrox men thought they had taken the lead when Emmanuel Fernandez’s header from James Tavernier’s corner was touched over the line by Miovski, but the North Macedonian forward was ruled offside after a lengthy VAR check.
Hearts were struggling to find a way through a compact Rangers side, but came to life in the 17th minute when Kent fed Alexandros Kyzyridis on the right and the Greek winger headed inside before turning a low left-footed shot from 20 yards.
The visitors were generally the more assured team in the early stages and threatened an opener in the 22nd minute when Mikey Moore’s shot from outside the box was blocked by Alexander Schwalo and Jayden Meghoma’s effort from the rebound was headed wide by the hosts.
But Hearts began to find their footing and they made the breakthrough in the 38th minute with another good set-piece routine. Kyziridis turned a short corner to Braga and he shaped to cross before back-heeling the Greek, who stumbled onto a brilliant inswinging delivery which Findlay headed home from six yards.
Within four minutes Hearts doubled their lead. Findlay’s free-kick from the center circle was headed by Oisin McEntee and then Braga, Shankland got behind the Rangers defense and from the tightest angle on the right, fired a low shot between the legs of the errant Jack Butland and near the near post.
Shankland had two great chances to tie the game in the 60th and 69th minutes, but blew one wide and then had an effort saved by Butland after being sent clean through.
Substitute Chermity took advantage of a mix-up in the home defense to pull one back with the last kick of the match, but it did not matter as Hearts moved 12 points ahead of fourth-placed Gers.