Arab News | Naderi double helps Rangers take Scottish Premiership top spot

LONDON: Ryan Naderi scored twice as Rangers moved top of the Scottish Premiership with a 3-1 win at home to Kilmarnock on Saturday.

The Czech Republic striker was on target with two headers in the first half at Ibrox to take his tally for the season to six goals, with Rangers 3-0 ahead after Kevin Kelsy also scored before the break.

Victory left Rangers a point ahead of arch Glasgow rivals Celtic but the Scottish champions will regain top spot if they avoid defeat at Motherwell on Sunday.

Rangers have now won six league games in a row — and seven in total — but they were denied a fifth successive clean sheet when Kilmarnock substitute Nicky Clescenco scored late on.

Light Blues’ manager Derek McInnes blamed the lengthy international break for Rangers’ “disjointed” play.

“The fact we went top of the league, we shouldn’t lose sight of that,” he said. “There’s a lot of positives, but the performance was disjointed at times… We have to be honest, for long spells we looked like a team that hadn’t been together for the last three weeks.”

Elsewhere, Hearts stayed third after thrashing St. Mirren 5-0 for their biggest home win in the Premiership since a 6-1 rout of Ross County in April 2023.

Laurent Mendy fired the Jambos ahead in the 20th minute before Calvin Miller scored two penalties either side of half-time.

Further goals from Claudio Braga and Josh McPake added to the delight of the Tynecastle faithful, with Hearts’ tally of 19 goals from eight league games the most by any Premiership club so far this season.

Hearts, agonizingly denied the title on the final day of last season, have won all four league matches at home since Wouter Vrancken succeeded McInnes as Hearts manager in June after his predecessor joined Rangers.

And the Belgian, whose side now head into their UEFA Conference League opener against Nordsjaelland on Thursday in buoyant mood, is delighted by the way the squad have embraced his attacking approach.

“From the first session (in the summer), the players liked what we were doing and they tried to make those steps and you see it today (Saturday),” he said.

“We try to play a style of football that, when you were a little boy, when you started playing football on the street, you played football to score goals, not to stay in front of your goal and prevent the goals.”