'Outstanding' - Michael Stewart wowed by his MOTM after Rangers & Hearts 0-0

Michael Stewart couldn’t help but rave about the performance of Hearts defender Gerald Taylor against Rangers.

In what proved to be a frustrating day at the office for Rangers on Saturday (3 August), Hearts dug deep to grind out a point at Tynecastle.

It was a particularly promising day at the office for the aforementioned Taylor, who played a key role in maintaining a clean sheet.

While on BBC Sportscene on Saturday night (3 August), Stewart was asked if Taylor was his man of the match and said: “Unquestionably. He was outstanding. He showed right from the get-go that he has good ability in the defensive one-on-ones.

“You were talking about duels and how Rangers’ centre-halves weren’t good enough. This was early on and you get a sense he backs himself. He’s physically strong.

“Look at this driving run, he leaves the Rangers players for dead and into the gap. This little pass was brilliant for me because it shows awareness and calmness.

“He was in complete control of [defensive] situations and constantly causing problems for Rangers in an attacking sense.”

Gerald Taylor takes charge and frustrates Rangers

There’s something to be said for the passion teams play with against the likes of Celtic and Rangers. More often than not, they’re expected to roll over and lose.

Alas, that isn’t always the case, with Hearts putting forward a united team performance from beginning to end in this frustrating season-opening clash.

Taylor, in particular, served as a frustrating presence at both ends of the pitch. He played 85 minutes and in that time he had 62 touches, a 79 per cent passing accuracy, made three interceptions and six tackles (Sofascore). The Costa Rican looked calm, confident and composed, and Rangers just couldn’t handle him.

Moving forward, it’ll be interesting to see if that becomes a pattern down the right flank. Yes, there were positives to take away from the game, but there are also plenty of warning signs. If the club are serious about a title push, they can’t afford to give teams so much freedom.

In other Rangers news, Philippe Clement provided an injury update on a Gers ace after the Hearts clash.

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