Rangers' damage is self-inflicted once again as Craig Gordon heroics earn Hearts an Ibrox draw

The fortunes of Craig Gordon and Allan McGregor bookended this Premiership encounter. One was the hero, the other was the villain.

In the case of McGregor, he wasn’t alone. It may have been his mistake that allowed Hearts to snatch a share of the points here, but Steven Gerrard must hold others accountable.

Rangers should need no warning over what happens when possession and chances are not converted into goals. Once again, those old failings came back to haunt them and cost them.

John Lundstram’s first half strike should have been the foundation that a huge Premiership victory was built upon for the champions. Instead, it only allowed them to add a point to their tally as top spot was retained but ground was lost to Celtic.

The equaliser would come late. Rangers couldn’t say that it hadn’t been coming at all, though, as a succession of missed chances gave Robbie Neilson’s side belief and ultimately allowed them back into a game that should have been wrapped up a long time before Craig Halkett stunned Ibrox.

The small band in maroon and white tucked away in the corner – the first visiting supporters inside Ibrox on league duty this season – were the ones that celebrated in the end. They didn’t cheer the loudest, but they cheered the longest.

For so much of this encounter, it looked like their trip along the M8 would be a wasted one as Rangers controlled proceedings. The final outcome, therefore, was a hammer blow to the champions.

The fact that Gerrard’s side were applauded off at the break told its own story. Just 45 minutes later, the boos around Ibrox were indicative of the fact that a win that was thrown away.

The first half had been much more like it from Rangers. Their efforts may only have been rewarded with a solitary goal, but there was a purpose about the way in which the champions went about their business as Hearts offered no threat of their own.

It would take a moment of magic from Lundstram to break the deadlock as Gordon was finally beaten. His frustration was clear.

A diagonal from Connor Goldson found Ianis Hagi on the right and his cross was only partially cleared by Halkett. It was the defender who would attempt to pressure the ball again, but it was in vain.

Lundstram had collected it in a central area. He would take a touch to set himself and he had Ibrox willing him to hit it.

He did. A curling effort from 25 yards was too good for Gordon and the keeper couldn’t get enough of a hand on the ball to prevent it finding the net.

It was a strike to savour for Lundstram. His initial weeks in Glasgow were difficult, but he had played himself into form before the break and this was another encouraging showing after being given the nod to start ahead of Steven Davis.

Before the Scouser's intervention, there had been a feeling that the goal wouldn’t come before the break for Rangers as a plethora of chances were spurned.

The clearest of them – all three, in fact – had come ten minutes earlier. Somehow, Gordon would save his side with a remarkable hat-trick of stops.

The first came from a towering header from Leon Balogun as he connected with a Borna Barisic corner. Gordon reacted smartly to thwart the Nigerian on that occasion and then produced a remarkable reaction block as Balogun was denied once again.

Just for good measure, Gordon would smother the ball on the line as the danger was finally brought to an end. The reaction from the keeper was visceral as he let out the kind of celebratory roar that is usually reserved for the other end of the park.

Rangers should have had their own moments to toast but a combination of Gordon's heroics and some misplaced finishes ensured they had to wait longer than they wished for their goal.

Gordon had saved from Scott Wright and Hagi in the opening minutes, while Alfredo Morelos couldn’t hit the target with a low drive on the angle.

A Goldson header didn’t trouble Gordon, but he was forced into action to block a Joe Aribo strike that took a deflection before reaching him. The pattern was a familiar one for Rangers.

The game was there to be won but nobody around Ibrox should have believed that the job was done. Morelos blazed over from the edge of the box before an excellent intervention from Stephen Kingsley ensured his wait to reach the century for Rangers continued.

On a day where it looked like Rangers would storm across the winning line, they were edging towards it. Ultimately, they would never get there.

The offside flag thwarted Liam Boyce before a terrific McGregor save, just for good measure. When he denied Barrie McKay, there was no safety net from the officials as the former Ibrox winger burst through but couldn’t beat McGregor.

At the other end, Gordon saved well from Kemar Roofe and then saw the ball rebound off the post before he added Goldson to the list of players he had thwarted as a header was parried.

When Morelos somehow missed from a couple of yards out, Gerrard couldn’t hide his fury. It was one of those wretched afternoons in front of goal and it finally cost Rangers.

A corner from Gary Mackay-Steven should have been dealt with by McGregor but his attempted punch was weak and misjudged. At the back post, Halkett couldn’t believe his luck as he nodded home from a couple of yards.

There was no time for a comeback. The damage was done, and it was once again self-inflicted from Rangers as crucial points were squandered.

Neilson – sent off for his reaction to an incident between Kingsley and Juninho Bacuna – wasn’t in the dugout to see the equaliser.

The silence in the stands told him all he needed to know as Hearts returned to Gorgie still unbeaten and with a point earned in the most dramatic of circumstances.