THIS was Tynecastle 11 days ago turned almost exactly on its head. Just as Hearts had bossed the game that evening as they eased to a comfortable 2-0 win, so Rangers did likewise yesterday on their way to running up a replica scoreline.

On the back of last weekend’s equally impressive dismissing of Aberdeen, it again emboldens the case for Mark Warburton’s side to be considered the best of the rest.

Their lead over Aberdeen is now four points, albeit having played a game more, with Hearts a further point back. Having failed to make home advantage count earlier in the season, Rangers now seem to be reaping the benefits that playing in front of 50,000 fans ought to deliver.

Warburton has been regularly pilloried for a perceived tactical inflexibility so must similarly be given credit for adopting a different approach over the last two games, with Rangers moving the ball forward with greater urgency, taking command of the wider areas and making the most of Joe Garner’s willingness to battle for every ball in the air. It seemed barely a moment passed by without the striker either clattering into someone or being clattered himself and, while a £1.8m transfer fee ought to buy you a bit more finesse as well, the Rangers fans seemed to appreciate Garner’s whole-hearted attitude as he was subbed off late in the match.

There was redemption, too, of sorts for James Tavernier. The fall guy at Tynecastle when he was caught out of position for both of Hearts goals, he was re-deployed in central midfield here, a role that allowed him to indulge his attacking instincts without the need to fulfil the same defensive responsibilities. His expertise from a dead ball again also served Rangers well, Tavernier plopping a 29th-minute free kick on to the head of Rob Kiernan for the opening goal of the game.

There was some debate afterwards, though, whether Hearts should have had that honour instead. As was the case at Tynecastle, the away team had a “goal” ruled out for offside by the assistant referee but only after a considerable delay. Warburton expressed his satisfaction with the “consistency” of the decision-making although Don Cowie, who had poked in Callum Paterson’s wayward driven effort, felt the officials had got this call wrong.

“It wasn’t offside, I’ve just seen it in the dressing room there,” said the midfielder. “There were a lot of bodies in there so I can see why they’ve maybe got it wrong but it’s also disappointing just how long it took. That would have changed the game as we would have gone 1-0 up. That would have given us a real boost of confidence going into the rest of the game.”

Instead, it would prove to be Hearts’ final shot on goal. Rangers gratefully accepted the lead 12 minutes later and then all but confirmed the victory with a second goal early in the second half. A throw-in from Lee Wallace somehow made it all the way across the penalty box where Barrie McKay controlled it with his chest before thudding a half-volley beyond Jack Hamilton.

McKay was the outstanding figure in the match – Jason Holt, surprisingly, got the official man of the match award ahead of him – and should have also claimed an assist for a raking ball to Martyn Waghorn that the striker dallied on instead of lashing goalwards first time. The winger’s performance was further vindication of Warburton’s decision to remove him from the first team for a short spell recently, the player in agreeance.

“I was playing at the start of the season and then came out of the team,” he admitted. “Rightly so, because I wasn’t performing anywhere near the level of last season. That gave me the chance to recharge my batteries and now I’m back playing I feel really fresh.”

“Young players have dips,” confirmed Warburton. “The old saying is that form is temporary and class is permanent and I have no doubt Barrie McKay can go to the very top level. He can be as good as he wants to be and it was great to see him back to his best today.”

The only difference – and it was a significant one – between Tynecastle and Ibrox a week and half on was the identity of the Hearts manager. Few new appointments will have felt the focus trained upon them as intensely as Ian Cathro given the route he has taken to reach this point but it would prove a disappointing debut, even if he did his best to shrug it off afterwards.

The small cluster of ex-professionals who had questioned the validity of his appointment may have been cheering into their beers last night but, in truth, Hearts’ away record has been poor for quite some time, their last win on the road coming back in September.

Cathro, dressed in coat, trousers and shiny shoes rather than the expected tracksuit, made no changes to the Hearts starting line-up, staying true to his mantra that progress will come incrementally rather than in a rush.

“It's a game which could have gone better and we could have been better,” he said. "But there is no drama associated to it. No disaster. Just a game we need to learn from and improve from. We will be a different team that what you saw today. We need to move forward and make things better.”