In a pivotal shift of momentum last week, Rangers took advantage of Celtic’s slip by overtaking them at the Premiership summit.
A draw at home to Kilmarnock allowed Philippe Clement’s side the opportunity to move clear, and they took that chance by beating St Johnstone 3-0 almost 24 hours later.
It means Rangers have now won all nine games since their defeat in the previous Old Firm derby back in late December, and with the gap at just two points, a healthy margin of victory also saw the new leaders move ahead in terms of goal difference too.
Rangers now face five huge encounters in the league that they must win before facing Celtic again in the penultimate fixture of the regular season, and none is likely to be tougher than this.
While they are unbeaten in their last 12 meetings with Hearts, the visitors have not seen this kind of form from their side in a very long time.
Naismith’s side are essentially in a league of their own, below the top two, but a long way clear of the rest.
Remarkably, considering how dominant the Old Firm clubs are, the gap to Rangers at the top (13 points) is actually shorter than the one between themselves and Kilmarnock a place below them (14 points).
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Eight successive victories is the reason for that gulf opening up, as Hearts have taken more points across the last 10 games than any other team in the division – 28.
A win away on their last trip to Glasgow kickstarted that run, as a 2-0 success over Celtic spurred Hearts into life after a mixed start to the campaign.
Just one point is required for Hearts to mathematically confirm their place in the Championship Group later this campaign, with six games left of the regular season.
