Let's get one thing straight. Hearts should’ve had a penalty against Rangers but a refereeing decision wasn’t the reason they lost the game.
What was? A four minute capitulation.
Four minutes of woeful defending. And 90 minutes of wasteful finishing.
In short: Hearts paid the penalty for being second best in where it matters – in both boxes.
So forget any refereeing conspiracy theories or trying to deflect because the problems were created by those wearing a maroon shirt and on the biggest stage of all.
Which is hugely frustrating for Robbie Neilson because, in general, Hearts were excellent against Rangers and like in the second half at Celtic Park showed they can hold their own with the big two.
It’s just the key moments that have let them down badly and that’s the difference at the top end.
The defending for the two goals was just madness.
If someone hits a ball 90 yards straight over your defenders’ heads for someone to run in and score then you have to ask serious questions.
If a centre half or a midfielder has time on the ball to look up, and we all know Connor Goldson has an amazing range of passing, then the defensive line has to drop.
It’s basics. But that never happened and Hearts were punished.
Same with the first goal as everyone gets drawn to the ball and just leave Morelos. Someone has to latch onto him as he is the danger man in there.
You just can’t give players of the quality Rangers have that opportunity.
At the other end how many did Hearts miss? Sixteen shots is a fair number against Rangers.
Allan McGregor was in top form but Liam Boyce should have scored a couple and if he nets the early one that he tried to lob it’s a totally different game.
I’ve said before though that there will be days where Boycey isn’t firing on all cylinders. He needs help in the goalscoring stakes be it from a midfielder or even a defender.
It’s not as if they are getting battered off these teams. They are controlling games, creating chances but it’s just the big moments in both boxes.
To be blunt Rangers did to Hearts what Hearts had done to Livingston just a week earlier. The exact same.
There’ll just be a massive feeling of disappointment in the group after that. They were - and they ARE - good enough to beat Rangers and Celtic.
But in key moments against both they’ve not taken their chances.
It’s certainly not doom and gloom though. Hearts fans would have bitten your hand off to be having these conversations at the start of the season.
The thought of splitting the Old Firm? They’d think you were off your head.
The performance in general was really good. And they’ve got three games coming up - away to Dundee and home to Ross County and St Johnstone - where they really should be looking at nothing less than nine points.
When the dust settles you’d look at that schedule and lick your lips. Getting nine points from that lot is better than beating one of the Old Firm then losing to say a St Johnstone.
It would fire Hearts miles ahead in third place and that, as I said, would be more than acceptable at the start of the season.
For Robbie to take it to the next level as a manager then he needs to cement that top three spot and have a right good crack at winning the Scottish Cup.
The cups are the biggest thing for Hearts now and knowing how opinion can change on a manager very quickly - just look across the city at what’s happened with Jack Ross at Hibs which I must say was shocking - then Robbie needs to keep building on this good start.
That’ll take more sharp operating off the field in the transfer window.
But it’ll also need the players who are on the park sharpening up in both boxes.
