Olwethu Makhanya headed a late equaliser to earn Derek McInnes a point on his return to Hearts as Rangers boss in a pulsating affair in Gorgie.
Both teams held the lead at one stage and in the end they settled for a share of the spoils. On a night when leaders Celtic were surprisingly held at home to Dundee United, it meant these sides missed the chance to close the gap - but didn't lose ground either.
Rangers strike first in hostile atmosphere
It was a raucous atmosphere with the home fans giving their old boss an intimidated welcome on his return to Gorgie. Rangers dealt with that by silencing the maroon legions just after the quarter of an hour mark.
Kevin Kelsy did well to pounce after a heavy touch from Laurent Mendy and the Venezuelan drove forward before a neat exchange of passes with Ryan Naderi and the striker finished off the move with a composed finish low into the net.
Hearts, though, fought back into it and grabbed a deserved leveller early in the second half when Claudio Braga bundled home after Malachi Fagan-Walcott knocked Calvin Miller's free kick back across the face of goal.
Hearts turn the game on its head
The little Portuguese then turned provider as the game was turned on its head as he burst down the left before sending in a low ball for Miller who controlled the ball before firing past Ivor Pandur.
Makhanya then sent in a looping header at the death from a Tuur Rommens free kick before Dujon Sterling squandered a glorious chance to seal victory with a point blank effort saved right at the death.
Chance missed for Gers
It could end up being a good point in the end but given Celtic had a rare slip-up then Rangers will be kicking themselves they didn't take full advantage. They already trail by four points and would have been relieved at full time to discover that the gap hadn't increased. But they might not get too many chances like that. Luckily for the Light Blues, the gap to the Jambos also remains at four points so there was no real damage on the night.
Jambos give Del hell
Derek McInnes admitted he didn't expect anything other than a torrent of abuse - and he wasn't wrong. The Rangers boss was met with a barrage of boos as he walked out of the tunnel on his return to his old stomping ground. The chants continued throughout the game but he relished the hostile atmosphere he once thrived on - and was celebrating at the end, even if he wanted all three points.
Adding insult to injury
Wouter Vrancken hasn't had his troubles to seek when it comes to the Jambos crock last so the last thing he needed was another injury. But that's exactly what happened when the versatile Rogers Mato went down late in the first half, replaced by Stephen Kingsley. It comes after confirmation Harry Milne has been ruled out for the season with a cruciate injury and joins a lengthy list including Christian Borchgrevink (hamstring), Oisin McEntee (muscle), Stuart Findlay (groin), Ageu (muscle), Craig Halkett (Achilles), Blair Spittal (shin) and Tom Renaud (ankle).
Fernandez on shaky ground
Emmanuel Fernandez just doesn't inspire confidence in that Light Blues rearguard and it will be interesting to see how long Derek McInnes persists with the former Peterborough man. At 25-years-old, he's not a kid but yet again he was rash at times here, which saw him pick up a booking for a foul on Josh McPake, and he was extremely lucky to have escaped a caution for an early challenge. He will cost Gers at a crucial time unless he sharpens up. It could be time for Ben Godfrey to get his chance.
Home comforts for Hearts
Hearts went into this one on the back of an impressive 11-game winning streak in the league, winning by an aggregate score of 25-4. And while that came to an end, they are still unbeaten. Indeed, the Jambos hadn't lost in Gorgie in the Premiership since a 1-0 defeat to Dundee in April 2025. The irony is that it was the man who did so much to make the place a fortress with an unbeaten league season last term who finally brought it to an end - and he discovered just why it is such a tough place to go.
