RANGERS suffered Heart-ache at Tynecastle last night as they slumped to a third league defeat of the season.

A double from Robbie Muirhead, one in either half, was enough to deliver a relatively comfortable win for Hearts and lift them above a below-par Rangers into second place in the Premiership table.

Mark Warburton’s men could have little complaints about the result given they were second-best throughout most of the contest, although the manager felt the match could have turned out differently had a Joe Dodoo strike early in the second half not been ruled out for offside against Harry Forrester.

He said: “Harry was probably offside but the fact is the goal was given. The flag doesn’t go up for 14 seconds and then the linesman walks five or six paces down the line. So what happened to change their minds? It’s not us being sore losers or clutching at straws but that makes the game 1-1 and that would have been an important turning point.”

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Warburton had sprung a surprise in his starting line-up, handing a first Rangers start to Matt Crooks who slotted into midfield in place of his former Accrington Stanley team-mate Josh Windass. There was a change up front, too, with Dodoo rewarded for his weekend brace against Partick Thistle with a starting slot. Joe Garner dropped to the bench.

There was a minute’s silence for the victims of the Colombian air crash – as well as for Rangers legend Davie Provan who died earlier this week – before a crackling, intense 90 minutes unfolded in the first meeting between the teams this season.

Muirhead was the first to threaten with a dig from around 30 yards after he had been fouled by Andy Halliday, the ball sailing well over target. James Tavernier then thudded an effort into the defensive wall after neat play between Holt and Wallace had ended with the former being shunted to the ground by Callum Paterson, while Jamie Walker’s free kick at the other end minutes later also cannoned off a ruck of Rangers players. When the first chance of open play finally arrived after 14 minutes, Tavernier couldn’t keep his ambitious bash under the crossbar.

Read more: Kenny Miller: Rangers weren't at the races against Hearts

It was all very scrappy, with neither side able to string a series of passes together. Hearts hollered for a free kick thinking Wes Foderingham had handled outside his box – he hadn’t – before the Rangers goalkeeper was called upon to make his first save of the net, comfortably clutching Walker’s shot.

That sparked a spell of Hearts dominance and they ended the first half well on top and, eventually, in the lead. Paterson cut inside before firing in a left-foot shot that Foderingham parried, before the impressive Bjorn Johnsen found himself on the end of two great chances. He should have done better than direct his first header from a Muirhead free kick straight at the goalkeeper, while his second attempt – from a Paterson long throw – required Foderingham to make a more acrobatic stop.

A Hearts goal looked increasingly likely, however, and it duly arrived a minute before the break. Arnoud Djoum stayed on his feet under a stiff challenge from Halliday – he may have got a penalty had he gone down – but the ball found its way to Johnsen whose cross was touched in at the back post by Muirhead with Tavernier dithering. Rangers, who had offered next to nothing in an attacking sense, could have no complaints.

They were much more vocal in their protests early in the second half, however, when they thought they had chiselled out what would have been a scarcely-merited equaliser. Kenny Miller’s shot was only parried by Jack Hamilton into the path of Dodoo who fizzed his finish into the net. Referee Craig Thomson seemed to be of a mind to award the goal but, after consulting with his assistant David McGeachie, changed his mind, deeming Harry Forrester had been loitering in an offside position.

Read more: Kenny Miller: Rangers weren't at the races against Hearts

Warburton, his assistant David Weir and goalkeeping coach Jim Stewart all angrily argued the case to the fourth official but there would be no reversal of the decision. To then rub further salt into Rangers’ wounds, Hearts then doubled their lead just eight minutes later.

Again it was a poor goal to lose from Rangers’ perspective, Walker allowed to send an enticing ball across the six-yard box where Muirhead was again unmarked to score his second of the game. Warburton threw on Garner and Barrie McKay but Hearts perhaps could have had a penalty for a foul on Faycal Rherras who also pulled off a terrific headed clearance in the final minute to keep out a Garner header who then also shot wide. It was final proof that this wasn’t Rangers’ night.