ANTONIO COLAK’S clinical first-half double set Rangers on their way to a comfortable 4-0 win away to 10-man Hearts.
The 29-year-old Croatia striker’s brace took his tally for the season to 11 goals since he joined from Malmo in the summer.
Cammy Devlin’s red card shortly before the break undermined the Jambos’ hopes of a fightback before strikes in the closing quarter of an hour from substitute Alfredo Morelos and Ryan Kent sealed a morale-boasting victory for Rangers ahead of their Champions League trip to Liverpool on Tuesday.
Hearts manager Robbie Neilson made one tweak to the side that started the 3-0 win away to Motherwell last time out as Stephen Humphrys started instead of Andy Halliday.
Rangers made two changes from the side that started the win over Dundee United a fortnight previously as youngsters Leon King and Charlie McCann made way for Rabbi Matondo and Ben Davies, who came back in for his first appearance since mid-August.
The visitors had the first chance of the match after three minutes when Davies had a close-range effort deflected behind from a James Tavernier corner.
Moments later, the same player saw his header from another Tavernier corner scrambled out by goalkeeper Craig Gordon.
Rangers went ahead in the sixth minute when Colak headed in off Gordon’s left-hand post after meeting a lovely Kent cross from the left.
Hearts tried to find a response and Humphrys threatened with a couple of powerful strikes from outside the box.
Scott Arfield had a great chance to double Rangers’ lead in the 20th minute when he got in behind after Lewis Neilson – with the sun in his eyes – seemed to lose the flight of a ball over the top but the Rangers midfielder rolled his effort wide from inside the box.
The visitors’ second goal arrived 10 minutes later, however, when Matondo slipped a nicely-weighted pass into the path of Colak who clipped a lovely finish past Gordon from the angle of the six-yard box.
Things got worse for Hearts in the 38th minute after Devlin was shown a straight red card for racing in and stamping on the ankle of Matondo as the Rangers player shielded the ball from Alex Cochrane on the touchline in front of the visiting technical area.
Both sides made double substitutions at the start of the second half and Hearts’ two replacements almost had a swift impact when Halliday headed wide from Robert Snodgrass’s corner in the 48th minute.
Four minutes later, Rangers winger Kent had a low angled shot deflected wide of the far post. From the resulting corner, sub Steven Davis fired over from inside the box after being picked out by Tavernier.
The visitors killed off any hope of a Hearts fightback in the 76th minute when substitute Morelos blasted home from eight yards out after being set up by Tavernier.
And Kent put the seal on Rangers’ victory in the first minute of stoppage time when he stepped away from Peter Haring and fired in a brilliant low strike from just inside the box.
Leicester are really missing Rooney
While he is an intelligent footballer he just doesn’t have the pace up front and slows the game down way to much in midfield. This has been coming for two years but no one else has had the balls to do it.
Comment of the decade! United will play with pace today.
Leicester were hoping for Rooney to start. Utd have a good chance of a draw today !
If Jose had the b@lls to do it he’d have done it earlier don’t think he had a choice
Not at all Alan, although Rooney has been bad there are 10 other players in the team. Now Mourinho can’t be accused of given Rooney a chance.
His form hasn’t just dipped in the last 3 or 4 games les,it was obvious last season he was finished with a lot of United supporters saying that,but it’s only now that there’s more of them becoming more vocal about it that Jose has been forced to drop him
I agree Alan and would actually go further and say it’s been obvious for a couple of seasons now. I think Rooney’s days are numbered at United and that’s the point, he’s been given plenty of opportunities and failed, he has no excuses.
United on fire. Pogba playing a blinder. Mad!
United are on fire,I’d say United will have an add up on done deal tonight trying to sell Rooney
@Alan b: One carefull old lady owner……
Totally. Pogba running the show. To be fair to Rooney, he celebrated Pogba’s goal like he meant it.
Looks like thats the end of Rooney for awhile. Leicester going from champions to whipping boys fairly quick.
I think one other thing, apart from Rooney being a future ‘David Fairclough’, has been confirmed for certain today. Leicester are the new Blackburn, a one season wonder.
Brought back down to earth is their last two league away games alright. Gona be tough season but hopefully they can get back to winning ways against Porto.
They doing ok really right now Dave… Very good performance….
Rooney is looking up homes in the States or China as we speak…..
Yeah but he will follow the links into something else……
A far more balance side with the pace of Rashford and Lingard complementing Zlatan. Great to see Smalling (best outfield player last year) and Bailly paired together in the backs. Not to mention Herrera who is a very good player and is criminally underrated, he changed the game when he came on against Man City with Rashford.
Not far off their best 11,Mourinho has made a statement,the players need to do likewise today
How slow are the42′s goal alerts!
Yea it still says 1-0 ffs
Yeah, it was better when we only had teletext.
The scary thing is that It should be 7 or 8 nil at this stage.
Thank God Rojo not playing, absolute Jonah, but Blind not much better, no pace, could get caught today.
United played some of their best football under LVG when Shaw got injured a few years back and Blind filled in at LB, solid at the back and knows when to get forward. Good assist there and all.
Blind has been immense
Don’t rate him at centre but has played very well today.
Wow 3 nil and not hard time…..that doesn’t happen Utd too often. Would’ve been 0-0 last season.
Dave, it would have been Leicester 1-3 Man United at half-time last season and 4-3 at full time
2 seasons ago
Job done,Mourinho closer to figuring out his best 11,swap Mhikitaryan for Lingaard,he’s more creative and can influence a game more
Leicester in melt down.
Liverpool fans here in meltdown
It will be great to see some of my favourite United trolls back. I’ve missed you guys.
Emily or whatever your name is its gimps like you that have driven people away , it used to be banter in here now it’s pathetic childish rubbish that has ruined the app
Manchester United hammering Leicester and all you can think about is Liverpool bazinga, fair sad
Yeah, he has been missing for a few weeks and his first word is Liverpool.
Baz, the hypocrisy is astonishing. Why can’t you see it?
Thats not banter…. Banter is being around to take it when your also losing……
It was a tongue in cheek joke mick , up bravo you must be the new Paul Johnson.
I don’t comment here generally now because the app has been ruined
Yes, as you just demonstrated.
Emily davison calling other people trolls now thats funny
The best 45 minutes for Man Utd in a long time…. Untouchable at times, but wow, Leicester…. Hangover?? They will struggle big time. Too stretched.
Bye bye rooney.
But should be 6 or 7
Jesus it’s like men against boys
We want our title back.
This reminds me of Brazil versus Germany. Leicester’s marking is all over the shop, getting goals for players who have been struggling for form is a bonus
Bailly definitely it’s best signing,Rashford first touch very poor, he’s trying to hard, should be subbed.
United have no excuse today. To be fair to Rooney he’s not the only player who hasn’t been great this season. Rooney will have a right to be annoyed if they don’t perform without him.
Rooney must be climbing the walls, won’t get back into the team any time soon. That goal could be worst thing to happen to Wayne’s career.