Hearts leap in Scottish league title race after beating Rangers with three rounds left

TL;DR

Hearts defeated Rangers 2-1, leading the Scottish league title race by three points over Celtic with three rounds remaining. Rangers are now seven points behind, effectively out of contention.

Key points

Hearts beat Rangers 2-1 in the Scottish league.
Hearts is three points ahead of Celtic with three rounds left.
Rangers are now seven points behind Hearts.

Heart of MidlothianRangersCelticLawrence Shankland

EDINBURGH, Scotland (AP) — The three-team race in a Scottish league title chase for the ages now looks down to two after leader Heart of Midlothian rallied to beat Rangers 2-1 on Monday. Hearts is three points ahead of second-placed Celtic with three rounds left, chasing a first league title for 66 years as a big underdog against richer opponents. Rangers was all but knocked out of the running, now seven points back. Rangers can do Hearts a huge favor on Sunday at Celtic in a Glasgow derby between fierce rivals who have combined to win the league in each of the past 40 years. Hearts took a big step toward a stunning and unheralded Scottish Premiership triumph with second-half goals from defender Stephen Kingsley and talismanic forward Lawrence Shankland. Rangers took a first-half lead on Dujon Sterling's deflected shot. Shankland's decisive left-foot strike in the 71st minute — his 14th league goal this season — showed the kind of form that could see him lead Scotland's attack when the Tartan Army returns to the World Cup against Haiti on June 13 at the New England Patriots' stadium. Hearts next plays on Saturday evening at Motherwell and can go six points clear one day before Celtic hosts Rangers. Hearts also has a better goal difference than Celtic which is the first tiebreaker if they are level on points after the last game of the season — when they meet in Glasgow on May 16. \\\_ AP soccer:

Q&A

What are the current standings in the Scottish league title race?

Hearts leads the Scottish league with 63 points, followed by Celtic with 60 points, while Rangers are in third with 56 points.

How did Hearts secure their victory against Rangers?

Hearts secured their victory with second-half goals from Stephen Kingsley and Lawrence Shankland after trailing 1-0 at halftime.

When is the next match for Hearts in the Scottish Premiership?

Hearts will play their next match against Motherwell on Saturday evening.