Philippe Clement: Win over Hearts a mere 'stay of execution' for Rangers' boss?

Despite Rangers' 3-1 victory over Hearts relieving some pressure on manager Philippe Clement, he attributed the win to the team having the "right mentality." However, the victory also owed much to goalkeeper Jack Butland's outstanding performance, a degree of luck, and an own goal by Hearts centre-back Jamie McCart.

The match did little to change commentators' opinions, who remained surprised that Clement was still in the dugout after the shock Scottish Cup defeat to Queen's Park, viewing it as merely a "stay of execution" for the 50-year-old coach. Hearts not only scored two of Rangers' three goals (McCart's unfortunate deflection) but also created the majority of the game's chances, leaving home team coach Neil Critchley "baffled" by the result.

Clement insisted that everyone saw the "reaction" from his players at Tynecastle after the "frustrating" cup exit. He stated that the team showed the "right mentality" as a collective and displayed the "fighting spirit" necessary to win at Tynecastle. Clement pointed out that goals from John Souttar and Cyriel Dessers were both ruled out for offside, but he conceded that the team's performance was not of the "high quality" of their best matches.

Critchley claimed that the 3-1 scoreline "didn't reflect the game fairly at all." He said: "You rarely get the opportunity to play against Rangers and have more possession, more passes, better chances, more shots – and we did all of that today but we've lost." Hearts legend John Robertson lamented his former side's missed opportunities. Former Hearts and Rangers midfielder Derek Ferguson "simply couldn't believe" what he was seeing, noting the catalogue of gilt-edged chances that Hearts passed up.

Ultimately, Rangers remain 13 points behind Scottish Premiership leaders and reigning champions Celtic, who continued their winning streak with a comfortable victory over Dundee United on Saturday. Former Rangers youth striker Rory Loy believes the victory was only "a massive result" and "impressive based on the poor standards they've set." Loy suggested that Clement may still need to win the Europa League to keep his job, as they had never lost at home to a second-tier team and are unlikely to catch Celtic in the league. He added: "I can't help but feel it's a stay of execution for Clement."