'We were the better team' - Robbie Neilson rues Hearts' failings against ruthless Rangers

Hearts manager Robbie Neilson bemoaned his team’s finishing as they suffered their first home defeat of the season against Rangers.

Hearts manager Robbie Neilson in animated mood as he watches his team during their 2-0 league defeat at home to Rangers. (Photo by Paul Devlin / SNS Group)

A frustrated Neilson felt Hearts were superior to the Scottish champions in general play but were let down by their bluntness in the final third as well taken goals from Alfredo Morelos and Joe Aribo at the other end proved decisive.

“On the balance of play, we were the better team today, but Rangers took their moments,” said Neilson.

“We had chances to score goals and potentially go and win the game. We then face two good finishes and it makes it difficult for us. That’s the difference between the two teams today.

“Even in the first half when we went 2-0 down, we still controlled the game. They had two shots on target in the first half when we had several. It was that final moment we didn’t have.

“But it shows where we are as a team that we had more possession, more shots on target, more shots and we just didn’t have that final moment.

“We had good chances. We hit the bar twice, we had a potential penalty, blah, blah, blah. But the difference is that you need to put the ball in the net.

“That’s where we need to get to. We need to get to that level.

“A lot of times, when teams play against Rangers and Celtic, they will camp in, hope for the best and get a sucker punch. But we feel we can control games. I thought we controlled it today. We just didn’t take the moments when they came.”

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this article. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by coronavirus impacts our advertisers.

If you haven't already, please consider supporting our trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription.