Tom English shares instant reaction to Rangers win v Hearts live on BBC
Tom English has insisted that the 3-1 scoreline flattered Hearts as they were blown away by Rangers in the ViaPlay Cup semi-final at Hampden Park.
Goals from James Tavernier and Scott Wright in a blistering second-half display meant that the Bears will be back at Hampden for the final next month against Aberdeen.
English was wowed by the “excellent” duo of Tavernier and Danilo, who played big roles in the game to make sure Philippe Clement picked up his biggest win yet.
Speaking live on BBC Sportsound, as shared on their live blog, English delivered his instant reaction to the impressive win at Hampden Park.
“A two-goal deficit flattered Hearts in the end,” he wrote. “They survived to half-time at 0-0.
“Rangers’ response in the second half was excellent. They were really sharp. The clinical part of their game, which didn’t exist in the first half, came to the fore in the second.
“Tavernier and Danilo were excellent, a number of them stepped up. They blew Hearts away. It was really impressive.”
Fantastic.
It was the captain who would take most of the headlines, but there were so many good performances in that second half, too many to potentially name.
Wright deserves credit too, with eyebrows raised as he replaced Todd Cantwell, but his goal and all-round display will put him in contention for more starts on the big occasion.
Rangers dominated the ball throughout, but the cutting edge in the first half was non-existent, something that changed with a half-time grilling from Clement, no doubt.
Five games into his tenure and things are looking really positive with four wins, a cup final ahead and a huge Europa League clash with Sparta Prague at Ibrox next.
Win that one and the Bears will fancy their chances of qualification to the knockout stages and who knows where that could take them again?
Based on that second half though, teams will be fearing this new-look Rangers.
In other Rangers news, a journalist has spotted something that could “go a long way” for one “beleaguered” Gers player.