Rangers player ratings vs Hearts – Djeidi Gassama MOTM but 2/10 star diabolical
Rangers lost 2-0 to Hearts at Ibrox on Saturday to put more pressure on Russell Martin.
Lawrence Shankland’s double ensured that Martin remains winless in the Scottish Premiership.
Martin surprisingly kept the same starting 11 that drew 0-0 with Celtic before the international break, with new signings Derek Cornelius and Youssef Chermiti named on the sub’s bench.
Rangers started the game on the back foot, with Hearts dominating the early proceedings.
The visitors took the lead in the 22nd minute through former Rangers transfer target Shankland, who pounced on poor defending to finish past Jack Butland emphatically.
Rangers started to pile the pressure on after half-time, with Djeidi Gassama hitting the post with a curling effort.
Mohammed Diomande then gave a foolish penalty away, which gave Shankland the opportunity to double Hearts’ lead.
He missed the penalty but fired home the rebound to kill off Rangers and pile further misery on Martin, who’s facing the sack.
Djeidi Gassama continues to impress for Rangers
Gassama joined Rangers from Sheffield Wednesday in the summer, and the winger has shown promise in the early parts of the season.
Against Hearts, he seemed to be the only attacker who consistently ran at the stubborn Hearts defence, and also came closest to scoring when his effort hit the post.
The French forward should have done better with a first-half chance, which saw him wildly swing for the ball when composure was needed.
However, he was the only Rangers player to get the fans off their feet in what was another miserable day for the Light Blues.
| Stat (percentage) | Gassama |
| Ground duels won | 55 |
| Successful dribbles | 60 |
| Pass accuracy | 86 |
Mohamed Diomande’s performance costs for Rangers
Diomande gave away the penalty with a lazy trip on Harry Milne, which ultimately cost Rangers the match.
Whilst it was a soft penalty, there was no need for Diomande to intervene there.
In the game, he had:
- A 78 per cent pass accuracy
- 49 touches
- Won 29 per cent of his ground duels
Mrtin will need much more from Diomande the upcoming weeks if results are to improve.
Rangers player ratings vs Hearts
Jack Butland – 6
James Tavernier – 6
Nasser Djiga – 3
John Souttar – 3
Jayden Meghoma – 5
Connor Barron – 6
Mohamed Diomande – 2
Dedji Gassama – 6
Thelo Aasgaard – 4
Mikey Moore – 3
Bojan Miovski – 4
Substitutes:
Derek Cornelius – 4
Oliver Antman – 4
Joe Rothwell – 3
Youssef Chermiti – 3
Enjoyed this article? Stay connected with all the latest Rangers news, updates, and behind-the-scenes content by following us on our new Instagram account –@ibroxnews247