SPEAKING to RangersTV following yesterday’s Scottish Cup win, James Tavernier revealed the message passed on from staff to players as Rangers’ encounter with Hearts entered extra time.
“We knew even if we took them to extra time that we are fitter than them.”
Despite 120 minutes in the sweltering Spanish sun just days earlier and playing an incredible 65th game of the season, Tavernier was correct. His team once again looked the stronger and fitter of two sides as the game went the distance, just as they had done in the previous round.
No phase of play captured this fact better than Scott Wright’s goal, which sealed Rangers' first Scottish Cup since 2009.
It was a rare opportunity for a counterattack with Hearts seeking to restore parity following Ryan Jack’s stunning opener, which Giovanni van Bronckorst’s side took full advantage of.
Hearts have loaded the box in anticipation of delivery. However, Nathaniel Atkinson, under intense pressure from Ryan Kent, overruns the ball and Glen Kamara nips in front of Peter Haring to release Kent.
In pursuit of an equaliser, Robbie Neilson’s side have failed to consider the jeopardy a second concession would cause their hopes of silverware. They’ve left themselves defending a two-vs-two, which will soon be tipped in their opponents favour.
As Kent collects the ball, Wright is deep in his half. The goalscorer will put the afterburners on to scorch through the midfield in the coming seconds, ultimately creating the passing option required to take advantage of space.
Skipping forward three seconds, two things have happened. Kent hasn’t sprinted up the pitch blindly, rather the winger’s staggered progression enables Wright to catch up with play in moments.
READ MORE: Rangers' durability wins the Scottish Cup as Giovanni van Bronckhorst's tinkering turns the tide
During the below video, notice Kent scan right and left four times to gain a better picture of his surroundings.
On the left, Joe Aribo makes a clever run, angling his movement wide to stretch Hearts' back two and create distance between Wright and the defenders.
Kent’s pass is slightly narrow and Wright is forced to slow his momentum. If not for the wide run of Aribo, this could’ve given Halkett sufficient recovery time to block the shot. As shown below, the ex-Livingston man eats up ground and sticks out a leg that so nearly blocks Wright’s effort.
However, as was the case for Jack’s opener, Wright found the one area of the goal Gordon could not reach with a shot curling away from goal and finding the corner.
It was a perfect counterattack, spearheaded by a player in Kent nearing 250 minutes of football in under 72 hours and finished by a substitute who made a real positive impact from the bench.
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