Win or bust for Rangers as Tynecastle trip looms large

"Four games to go," Preston told BBC Radio Scotland's Sportsound.

"Rangers to come a week on Monday. Hearts could put them out of the title race at Tynecastle, where they're unbeaten this season."

Former Rangers striker Kris Boyd told Sky Sports things are now distilling quite clearly for his former side.

"Rangers are under huge pressure to go to Tynecastle and win," said Boyd. "Rangers have to go there and win or it's done.

"Celtic will be sitting at home buzzing about that result at Ibrox. Hearts have found another way to go and win a game of football and ask questions of Glasgow's big two."

What went wrong against Motherwell?

Rangers simply gave themselves too much to do against a Motherwell side who arguably played some of their best football of the season in a spell-binding first 45 minutes. Given Rohl made three half-time substitutions, it's also clear he may have picked the wrong team.

The introduction of Mikey Moore, James Tavernier and Mohamed Diomande for Bojan Miovski, Jayden Meghoma and Tochi Chukwuani made an instant difference and allowed Rangers to claw their way back into the match from two goals down.

Well's late winner, however, was no real surprise to former Hibs, Dundee United and Falkirk midfielder John Rankin, summarising for Sportsound on BBC Radio Scotland.

"The energy for the Motherwell players to get forward and get themselves a third goal and the winner was incredible," said Rankin.

"What a game of football. Motherwell are, for me, a team of football players. It was two contrasting styles. Rangers - big, powerful athletes; Motherwell - smaller guys who can handle the ball and go and play, all of them very aware of what's around them but can handle a football."

Motherwell's ability was just too much for Rangers on the day as the Ibrox side, for the second match in a row, fell two goals behind and this time couldn't quite dig themselves out of the hole.

Can Rangers ruin Hearts' home comfort?

So what prospect of a Rangers win at Tynecastle, given their entire season may now depend on it? They did put four past the long-time pacesetters the last time their paths crossed in mid-February.

As they did against Motherwell, Rangers got off to a slow start and trailed 1-0 and 2-1 before Youssef Chermiti levelled by the break on his way eventually to claiming a hat-trick and the match ball.

The pace and power of the Portugal Under-21 striker posed Hearts all sorts of problems and he's already proven he's the man for the big occasion with key goals in big games against Celtic too.

The second-half introduction of club captain James Tavernier also helped Rangers' momentum that day, as it did when he led the fightback against Motherwell, only for Emmanuel Longelo to ruin the departing Englishman's script.

The biggest problem Rangers face, though, is surely Hearts' record on their own ground. No visiting side has won a Premiership match at Tynecastle this season. The last team to do it were Dundee, exactly a year ago, 25 April 2025.

If that statistic is still intact after the upcoming bank holiday, Rangers' title chances will have suffered yet another blow and Hearts will justifiably feel they are just three games away from glory.