Hearts vs Rangers ref watch: Three big errors from John Beaton as Tynecastle crowd left in uproar
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Rangers dominated for large spells at Tynecastle, but couldn’t make it count, and they were punished with 71 minutes on the clock, when Lawrence Shankland produced a crisp first-time finish to leave Rangers four points adrift of top spot.The big occasion was always likely to provide several moments of controversy, and with that in mind, Football Insider picked out three mistakes made by referee John Beaton during Rangers’ loss to Hearts. ⚽ Rangers Matchday ⚽ Team news, line-ups, expert previews and verdicts, and tactical analysis for every Gers fixture. However, the 30-year-old overstepped the mark when he followed through on Emmanuel Fernandez after the Rangers defender had moved the ball on, and was promptly shown a yellow card by Beaton.
HeartsStatsRangersPossessionxGShots on TargetBig ChancesTouches in Opposition BoxCornersThe final stats from Rangers’ defeat away at Hearts, as per Fotmob.The striker’s caution came in the 37th minute of the action, but he arguably should have entered the referee’s book much earlier in proceedings. Neither were overly serious fouls, but it was clear that he was trying to ruffle the feathers of the visitors’ backline, and Beaton should have cracked down on it much earlier. 🗣️ “Hearts are pursuing the title, and pursuing history!”Captain Lawrence Shankland fires Hearts into the lead against Rangers ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/5k7ikqUI63— Sky Sports Scotland (@ScotlandSky) May 4, 2026 View Tweet A yellow card for Shankland’s first challenge on Sterling would have quickly made it clear that the man in the middle knew what he was trying to do.Emmanuel Fernandez yellow card a shocking decisionEmmanuel Fernandez has been a key figure for Rangers in recent months, as he has turned in some resolute defensive displays at the heart of the backline.
He picked up a booking in the 80th minute of Monday’s clash, as he steamed into Alexandros Kyziridis when a loose ball broke on the halfway line. It’s GAME ON here at Tynecastle, watch it all live on Sky 📺 pic.twitter.com/4poqHJATf2— Sky Sports Scotland (@ScotlandSky) May 4, 2026 View Tweet With that in mind, he could certainly count himself unlucky to have gone into the book, especially since it left him walking a tightrope for the rest of the evening.Youssef Chermiti incident leaves Hearts crowd in uproarThe Hearts faithful were growing increasingly frustrated with Beaton throughout the 90 minutes, as they felt that decisions were consistently going against their team.