Midway through the second half, as Tynecastle erupted into raucous celebration, Derek McInnes stood on the touchline with his arms folded.

He wore the look of a man watching his house burn down, only to remember he was the one who left the cooker on.

Having led 1-0 thanks to Kevin Kelsy’s goal in the first half, Rangers had just gone 2-1 down and were threatening to implode here in Gorgie once again.

There was almost a sense of deja vu to it all. Rangers had also capitulated here back in May. On that occasion, having led 1-0, they would lose 2-1 to a Hearts side who had then been under the command of McInnes.

It was a result which had all but killed them off in the title race. The script was following a similar trend here once again last night.

On his 27th birthday, Claudio Braga was pivotal in a second half display which saw Hearts come roaring back and turn the game on its head.

Birthday boy Braga scored one and created another for Calvin Miller as Wouter Vrancken’s side threatened their best result yet under the new head coach.

Hearts had not lost at home in the league in 25 matches, a run stretching back to April 2025, and a sequence in which McInnes had played such a key role last season.

He helped make this place a fortress – and a fortress it remains. Rangers would salvage a late equaliser through Olwethu Makhanya, and a point away at Tynecastle is never to be sniffed at. But with Celtic also dropping points in the title race, this felt like a missed opportunity.

Both teams came into this on the back of comfortable victories last weekend, Rangers beating St Johnstone 4-0 at Ibrox and Hearts winning 2-0 away at Motherwell.

Hearts boss Vrancken certainly has not had his problems to seek in recent weeks in terms of players dropping like flies.

An extensive injury list has deprived him of eight players in total who would be first-team regulars if fit, the most recent of which saw Harry Milne ruled out for the rest of the season due to an ACL injury.

McInnes was under no illusions about the reception that awaited him on his return to Tynecastle. For all he came so close to making history and winning the league with Hearts, that is now a distant memory.

The tribalism of Scottish football seldom caters for sentiment, particularly in a stadium renowned for its passion and hostility.

McInnes was roundly booed by the Tynecastle crowd as he emerged from the tunnel prior to kick-off, with Hearts fans then launching into another rousing rendition of Hey Jude.

It was loud. It was intense. It was an assault on the senses. When Tynecastle is in this sort of mood, there is no better atmosphere anywhere in Scottish football.

The question was whether the atmosphere would translate into a positive performance for a side who had been thrashed 7-1 at Celtic Park just over a week ago.

They certainly started with good energy and purpose. Vrancken’s side won a couple of early corners and had Rangers pinned back inside their own half.

A mistake from Manny Fernandez after just four minutes allowed Braga to run into space, the Hearts striker eventually brought down by a crude foul from Nico Raskin.

Raskin was booked by referee Don Robertson and his reaction was to turn around and, quite rightly, scold Fernandez for such a careless error that had put him in trouble.

There was a bit of needle between some of the players, most notably Rangers left-back James Penrice and Hearts winger Sabah Kerjota.

Penrice, a former Hearts player, had a couple of nibbles at Kerjota and the pair continued to exchange words any time they came near each other for the next five minutes or so.

It was Rangers who would take the lead with 16 minutes on the clock. Hearts midfielder Laurent Mendy lost the ball in a poor area and the white jerseys were on to it in a flash.

Ryan Naderi fed the ball to his strike partner Kelsy and the Venezuelan international showed good composure to slot the ball low past Hearts keeper Beau Reus for his sixth goal in his last eight matches.

Kim Min-su delivered his best performance in a Rangers jersey to date in the win over St Johnstone, operating from the left wing. He was shifted out to the right last night and was nowhere near as productive. He is an excellent talent, but Rangers are yet to fully establish what his best position will be long-term.

Already with enough players out injured to fill a small hospital wing, Hearts were dealt another blow when Rogers Mato, slotting in again as a makeshift left-back, limped off midway through the first half.

The main problem for Rangers at times was their own carelessness. Similar to the incident with Fernandez and Raskin in the early stages, a mistake this time from Dujon Sterling led directly to a clumsy foul by Fernandez and a booking.

As the half-time whistle sounded, the news filtered through that Celtic were losing at home to Dundee United.

Just when it had the feel of a night that could present a major opportunity for Rangers to close the gap in the title race, they conceded an equaliser just three minutes into the second half.

Braga had been toiling to make any impact. Playing as the lone striker, he had struggled to get much change out of Makhanya during the first half.

But the game completely flipped after the break. Rangers had been guilty of giving away cheap free-kicks all night and this time they would pay a costly price.

From a tight angle at the far post, Malachi Fagan-Walcott headed the ball back across goal for Braga to convert from close range to make it 1-1.

This was now a proper game of football. The Tynecastle crowd could smell blood. It was a serious test of Rangers’ character and resilience.

They did not look convincing – and it would be Hearts who took the lead as Braga’s shot deflected into the path of Calvin Miller. He drilled the ball beyond Ivor Pandur.

Much like Hearts as a whole, Braga was transformed in the second half. He was absolutely outstanding in everything he did, much more like the player who lit up Scottish football last season.

He almost made it 3-1 when a mazy run saw him get a shot away from inside the box, only for Pandur to make the save.

Rangers had completely and utterly lost their way. Hearts were playing all the football, asking all the questions, and creating all the best chances.

But Vrancken’s side could not hang on. With only a couple of minutes remaining, Rangers defender Makhanya rose at the back post to loop a header into the far corner to snatch a point at the death.

Hearts (4-2-3-1): Reus 7; Altena 7.5, Fagan-Walcott 8, McCart 7.5, Mato 5 (Kingsley 33); Mendy 7, Magnusson 7; Miller 8 (Wilson 79), Kerjota 6.5, McPake 8 (Guendouz 90); BRAGA 8.5 (Williams 79). Booked: Altena, Kerjota. 

Rangers (4-4-2): Pandur 7; Sterling 6, Fernandez 6, Makhanya 8, Penrice 6.5 (Rommens 62); Gassama 6.5 (Bouanani 53), Raskin 7, Neil 7 (Chukwuani 84), Min-su 6.5 (Miovski 84); Kelsy 7.5, Naderi 7 (Curtis 84). Booked: Penrice, Bouanani, Fernandez, Raskin. 

Referee: Don Robertson.

Attendance: 18,692.