Hearts 2-2 Rangers: Olwethu Makhanya's late equaliser rescues draw on Derek McInnes' Tynecastle return
Report as Rangers score late to draw 2-2 with Hearts; Kevin Kelsy opened the scoring for Rangers; goals from Claudio Braga and Calvin Miller gave Hearts the lead; Olwethu Makhanya headed in to rescue a point with Dujon Sterling missing a brilliant chance to snatch a win
Wednesday 28 October 2026 23:08, UK
Rangers snatched a point on Derek McInnes' Tynecastle return as Hearts held onto their formidable unbeaten home record.
The Gers boss was loudly booed by the home support as he emerged from the tunnel for his first match back in Gorgie since leaving for Ibrox in June, just weeks after the Edinburgh side were pipped to the Premiership title.
But his team silenced a pumped-up home crowd when Kevin Kelsy scored a 16th-minute opener following a lapse from Laurent Mendy.
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The hosts emerged with renewed impetus after the break and drew level three minutes into the second half when Caludio Braga rushed in to force the ball over the line from close range.
With Rangers rattled, Hearts went ahead in the 57th minute. Tomas Magnusson nicked possession off Kim Minsu and sent Braga racing down the left. The Portuguese drove into the box and his angled shot broke off Manny Fernandez into the path of Calvin Miller, who drilled home a low finish from seven yards out.
McInnes sent on Bouanani for Gassama, and the Algerian winger helped give the visitors an increased threat in attack before he delivered the free-kick from the left which was headed home by Olwethu Makhanya with stoppage time approaching.
Dujon Sterling had a brilliant chance to be Rangers' hero in the dying seconds, only to chest the ball straight to Hearts 'keeper Beau Reus.
Rangers remain four points behind Celtic, who drew with Dundee United, and four above Hearts, who are unbeaten in 26 league games at home.
The key moments from Tynecastle Park
2: CHANCE! Kerjota sends in a cross and Fagan-Walcott is just inches from getting his head to it.
11: CHANCE! Minsu sends in a cross as Rangers start to find a way into the game, Raskin gets to it but Hearts clear.
16: GOAL RANGERS! Rangers jump on slack Hearts play. Naderi slips a pass to Kelsy to finish past Reus.
26: SAVE! Kerjota has a shot blocked with Miller's follow-up saved by Pandur.
27: CHANCE! A rash challenge from Fernandez sees Hearts with a free-kick in a dangerous area. Miller whips it in, but Mendy heads over the bar.
48: GOAL HEARTS! Rangers are punished for conceding another free-kick and Braga is the one to get it over the line.
57: GOAL HEARTS! Braga drives into the Rangers box and his deflected strike falls to Miller to smash in.
68: SAVE! Kelsy's header reaches Bouanani, who curls an effort towards goal. It's saved by Reus.
76: SAVE! Pandur is called into action again as Braga is given so much space to shoot from distance.
79: SAVE! Neil whips a shot to the far post, which is stopped by Reus.
83: WIDE! Hearts break but Williams sends fires wide from distance. What a chance to wrap things up.
89: GOAL RANGERS! Makhanya heads in from Bouanini's free-kick to pull level heading into stoppage time.
90+4: CHANCE! Curtis sends in the cross to Sterling who looks certain to knock in a winning goal only to hand Reus a simple save.
'Rangers have stolen a point'
Sky Sports' Kris Boyd at Tynecastle Park:
"Rangers will actually be delighted to leave here with a point tonight.
"Hearts, the amount of games they've had, running on empty, the amount of injuries they've got, they were the better team tonight and that would be worrying.
"Rangers will leave here with a point and I'd be absolutely delighted that they've got that point.
"I saw a team out there tonight, Hearts, that have got a style of play. There's nothing wrong with it, but when it doesn't work, you're going to be criticised.
"You see that team that was going long, trying to play for second balls, get up on that. When it doesn't work, it looks so disjointed. Towards the end Rangers got that equaliser and then they had the chance to win it, but they didn't deserve that tonight.
"They wouldn't have deserved the three points. Hearts were by far the team who you felt as if were in control of the game, looked as if they were a team that had been coached in terms of patterns of play, especially the second half.
"Rangers really struggled to deal with Hearts. Emmanuel Fernandez, he looked so at unease with the Hearts attacking players. The amount of times that he caused problems for his own team-mates, again.
"I'll say it, Rangers have stolen a point here tonight. They've stolen a point because, especially that second half, it's got to be better."
Vrancken: 'We lost two points'
Hearts head coach Wouter Vrancken speaking to Sky Sports:
"It was a really good performance against a really good side on full strength.
"Actually, we lost two points. I think we had to win here.
"I'm pleased with the reaction because the moments they got was through a mistake of us.
"The first goal was a mistake for us. The performance afterwards makes up for a lot of things there.
"We were good in organisation. We were good at the ball. We were winning second balls, duels.
"We know they were aggressive or they want to be aggressive man but we played through their pressure.
"I'm really happy with the performance today. A pity that we couldn't take the three points."
McInnes: 'Winner would have been unjust'
Rangers manager Derek McInnes speaking to Sky Sports:
"I think we deserve our point.
"If we'd scored a winner there, possibly it would have been unjust.
"I liked how my team kept going, but there was a lot about tonight that I thought we looked very naive at times.
"We've got a young team and this ground can do that to you at times. Sometimes you've just got to stem the tide and sometimes you've just got to stay in the game and do the basics really well.
"I thought the game was a bit topsy-turvy. For us, there was loads we can do better."
Genuine handshake?
There appeared to be some tension between Vrancken and McInnes at full-time, with both telling Sky Sports what happened...
"I think you have to be like a genuine handshake among colleagues for me. Win, draw, lose," said the Hearts head coach.
"At the end everybody fights for his own team, works hard for his own team and in their way of working so I think it's normal and this is also how it has to be but at the end it has to be a genuine handshake.
Asked if he thought McInnes' handshake was genuine, he added: "I don't think so but afterwards we spoke so I think it's okay."
McInnes had less to say: "I was just telling him how fortunate it is to have such a good squad that I left him," he said. "All good."
