Leon Balogun believes Rangers showed resilience to overcome Hearts 2-0 in their Scottish Gas Scottish Cup semi-final at Hampden Park on Sunday.

Eyebrows were raised when Gers boss Philippe Clement left regular centre-back Connor Goldson on the bench with the 35-year-old Nigeria international Balogun making his first start since a 3-0 win over Livingston at Ibrox on February 3.

After just two wins in eight in all competitions and on the back of a goalless draw against Dundee on Wednesday night, which followed their first ever defeat by Ross County in the cinch Premiership in Dingwall the previous Sunday, the pressure was on the Ibrox side.

However, a Cyriel Dessers double set up an Old Firm final on May 25, the first since 2002.

Balogun, in his second spell at the Ibrox club, said: “I think at this club, it felt like we had a few horrible weeks and it’s been two games only, obviously very important games, but within a week.

“So I think it was very important to bounce back against a team that has put in good performances in every game we have played this season so far.

“They never make it easy for us and certainly didn’t on Sunday.

“But it felt good to be out there and show some resilience and get a good result, 2-0 and a clean sheet. Overall I can be can be happy.

“For me, it was just to make sure to prepare well and to have a good start to the game and do what I’m supposed to do and serve the team.

“I think overall as a team, as a unit, we did really well.”

Balogun revealed Clement has tried to keep the Rangers squad focused on the positives during the recent ropey spell which leaves the Light Blues three points behind cinch Premiership leaders Celtic.

The Light Blues begin their five post-split fixtures next weekend with a trip to St Mirren on Sunday.

He said: “He’s been really good with us because he makes sure that we don’t get too emotional because it’s always very easy to watch those games back and then just feel sorry for yourself, talk yourself down.

“He just reminded us of things that, even though we had bad performances, we still did good.

“He makes sure that he reminds us of what we have to do and repeats that quite heavily as well.

“Then you can see throughout the training sessions how the confidence slowly builds back up.

“I think it’s not a surprise that we had a few difficult spells in the game on Sunday as well.

“But then again, we showed the character that he was able to instil in the team.”

Philippe Clement insists Rangers reacted as he expected after getting back to winning ways with a 2-0 Scottish Cup semi-final victory over Hearts at Hampden Park.

The Light Blues went into the game with just two wins in eight in all competitions and on the back of a goalless draw against Dundee on Wednesday night which followed their first ever defeat by Ross County in their cinch Premiership encounter in Dingwall last Sunday.

The Gers boss, who raised eyebrows by dropping regular centre-back Connor Goldson in a reshuffle, saw striker Cyriel Dessers score a goal in each half to set up a date with Celtic on May 25 – the first Old Firm final since 2002.

“To say it’s pleasing it not a good word,” said Clement, who revealed attacker Abdallah Sima will be assessed in the next couple of days after going off early with an injury.

“It’s what I expected. It’s what I demanded, it’s what I wanted.

“It was what I knew I would get from the team, also. I was totally not pleased about the game after Ross County, with how we lost our structure and lost our normal football.

“Against Dundee, we were too much in a rush to score a goal and today we found the right balance again, what we have been doing for a lot of months.

“But it’s been challenging in the last couple of months with all the injuries and players in and out.

“We have been lacking rhythm. But today, if you see the bench, it is stronger again and that’s going to be important in the next couple of weeks when it’s one game a week.

“Before these cup semi-finals we were the only team that played during the week. It makes a different and you need to look at that if you have three games in seven or eight days.

“With players coming out of injury you cannot let them play all the minutes. It’s been a puzzle around that but now, in this last part of the season, it’s going to be a challenge in the squad with players coming back.

“Quality then rises in the training and quality rises in the game also because we have a strong bench.”

Hearts boss Steven Naismith blamed “immaturity” for failing to make more of their attacking play.

“Frustrated, disappointed with the outcome,” he said. “That is the overriding emotion.

“We got off to a terrible start, we can’t lose cheap, early goal like we did.

“But the reaction from then until the second goal was good.

“I thought we controlled the ball a lot, created opportunities and what you see is our immaturity in the final third.

“We had four or five really good situations and we either pick the wrong option, or the wrong pass or we don’t get the finish.

“And these are moments when we must hit the target or make the goalkeeper make a save or score a goal.

“That is the biggest frustration for me because we get good opportunities that we didn’t take and the goals we conceded were cheap.”

A Cyriel Dessers double took Rangers past Hearts in the Scottish Gas Scottish Cup semi-final to set up an Old Firm final.

The enigmatic Gers striker slid in the opener after five minutes and then sealed the victory in the 78th minute for a 2-0 win, leaving the Tynecastle club still searching for their first win over the Ibrox side at Hampden Park.

For the most part, it was a far from sparkling performance from Philippe Clement’s side who have gone off the boil in recent weeks.

Nevertheless, Rangers will meet Celtic in the May 25 final at the national stadium by which time we will know which of the Old Firm clubs have won their cinch Premiership title race, which the Hoops are leading by three points with five fixtures remaining.

Both sides had a lot to live up to after Saturday’s epic semi-final between Celtic and Aberdeen which the Hoops won 6-5 on penalties after a 3-3 draw but in the event it had less excitement and less quality.

The Jambos had lost four times to Rangers this season, once in the Viaplay Cup semi-final at the national stadium, and had not beaten the Light Blues in their last 17 attempts.

The statistics – but not Rangers’ recent form – pointed to another Gers victory.

The Ibrox side went into the game with just two wins in eight in all competitions and the pressure was on Clement and his players.

The Belgian boss boldly omitted Connor Goldson, who had played in 48 of Rangers’ 52 games this season, with Leon Balogun, Mohamed Diomande, Rabbi Matondo and Dessers returning.

Hearts, sitting in third place in the league with one defeat in seven, showed three changes with Stephen Kingsley, Alan Forrest and Kenneth Vargas starting.

Dessers missed the first chance in the third minute when he knocked a cross from Abdallah Sima over the bar as Tynecastle defender Frankie Kent challenged.

However, when Gers midfielder Todd Cantwell set him up inside the Gorgie box he confidently dragged the ball to his left past Nathaniel Atkinson and steered it low past veteran Jambos keeper Craig Gordon for his 18th of the season.

The goal settled the Ibrox men but they suffered a blow after just 15 minutes when winger Ross McCausland replaced the injured Sima.

The change seemed to disrupt Rangers and keeper Jack Butland had to make terrific saves from Forrest and Kent in quick succession, although Kent appeared offside at his close-range effort.

The Gorgie side began to exert more control towards the interval, pushing Rangers backwards and in the 51st minute Vargas robbed hesitating Gers defender John Souttar on the touchline and drove into the box but there were enough Light Blue jerseys back to defend.

The Edinburgh side were in control.

Hearts brought on Dexter Lembikisa, Barrie McKay and Yutaro Oda for Forrest, Jorge Grant and Atkinson just on the hour mark before Fabio Silva took over from the ineffective Matondo, before Dessers could not set himself for a shot after taking a Cantwell pass 10 yards from goal.

In the 73rd minute Hearts skipper Lawrence Shankland hit the side-netting with a header as the Tynecastle men piled forward.

However, in a swift Gers attack, Dessers settled the tie.

A powerful run by Cantwell had the Gorgie defence backpedalling and when he laid the ball off to the Gers striker his first shot was blocked by Gordon but he made no mistake when collecting the rebound.

With two minutes remaining Dessers set up Silva for a tap-in but the Portuguese attacker somehow managed to fall over the ball six yards out  before Butland made a fantastic save to ensure there were no late Rangers nerves, with time for Dessers to miss another opportunity on the break.

Liam Scales surveyed a potentially glorious end to Celtic’s season following their epic Scottish Gas Scottish Cup semi-final win over Aberdeen on Saturday, but knows there is still plenty of work to do.

A dramatic 6-5 penalty shoot-out victory over the Dons at Hampden Park followed a 3-3 draw and it booked the Hoops a place in the May 25 final against Rangers or Hearts, who face off at the national stadium on Sunday afternoon.

The Parkhead side are three points clear of their Old Firm rivals at the top of the cinch Premiership with five post-split fixtures remaining, one of which is the visit of Rangers to Celtic Park.

Scales acknowledged the importance of momentum going into the business end of the season.

“We are coming in strong to the last part of the season and that’s the way we like it and that’s the way we want it to be,” said the Irish defender.

“With five games left in the league we want to try and put that to bed and then deal with the cup.

“It probably won’t be that simple but that’s the plan.”

Scales, who signed from Shamrock Rovers in August 2021, was on loan at Aberdeen last season and there was speculation about him possibly signing a permanent deal with the Granite City club.

However, the Republic of Ireland international became a regular starter for Celtic this season under returning boss Brendan Rodgers and he is looking to continue on in the same manner.

“I really enjoyed my time at Aberdeen and it is a great club,” he said.

“To break into the team here is brilliant.

“I’m delighted how the season has gone. We just need to finish the season strong in our last five league games leading into the cup final.”

Scales described the semi-final as “mental” and it came to a crescendo in the penalty shoot-out when goalkeeper Joe Hart hit the post with Celtic’s fifth penalty but then saved from Killian Phillips to confirm the win.

Celtic recovered from Bojan Miovski’s early goal to led through goals from Nicolas Kuhn and substitute James Forrest, before Dons substitute Ester Sokler levelled in the 90th minute.

Matt O’Riley fired Celtic ahead in extra-time but stand-in Dons captain Angus MacDonald made up for an earlier mistake that led to Celtic’s equaliser when he headed in the 119th minute.

Scales said: “The boys who took the penalties showed extreme mental strength and bravery to put them away. It was amazing.”

At 3-2 up in extra-time, Celtic defender Cameron Carter-Vickers thought he had given a penalty away for his tackle on Junior Hoilett inside the box and was relieved upon discovering that referee Don Robertson had awarded a foul to the Hoops for the Aberdeen substitute’s challenge on Celtic right-back Alistair Johnston seconds earlier.

Carter-Vickers said: “I didn’t see him until late. I thought it was given but when it wasn’t given I was happy.

“The referee just said it was a foul against Alistair Johnston. Obviously VAR checked it and I just said if you seen it on the pitch then stick with your decision please.”

Aberdeen’s stand-in captain Angus MacDonald reflected on a “crazy” Scottish Gas Scottish Cup semi-final defeat to Celtic at Hampden which saw him experience emotional extremes.

The Dons led through an early Bojan Miovski goal but MacDonald’s mistake allowed Hoops striker Kyogo Furuhashi to race clear on goal, with Nicolas Kuhn finally levelling.

Substitute James Forrest put Celtic ahead in the 63rd minute before Dons substitute Ester Sokler levelled in the 90th minute.

Matt O’Riley fired Celtic ahead in extra time but MacDonald atoned for his costly earlier error when he headed in the leveller in the 119th minute to take the game to penalties.

The 31-year-old former Barnsley, Hull and Rotherham defender scored his spot-kick and while Celtic keeper Joe Hart hit the post with the Hoops’ fifth penalty, he then saved from Killian Phillips to ensure a 6-5 shoot-out win and a final date on May 25 against Rangers or Hearts – Hart’s last game before his retirement from football.

“I hold my hands up for the mistake because I gifted them a goal after 15 minutes,” said MacDonald.

“But to score the equaliser in the last minute of extra time then score a penalty, it was crazy.

“With the way the game had panned out I thought we’d go on to win it.

“When I scored it was a great feeling, especially for my family. But it just wasn’t to be.

“It’s 50-50 when it gets to penalties, isn’t it? The boys did well to get it that far and we had our chances to win it. On another day they would go in.

“We are disappointed for the fans today because they have followed us everywhere this season.

“We have to take the positives from the game, we can’t let our standards drop now.

“We have five cup finals now and if we can cause those teams the problems we caused Celtic we’ll be fine.”

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers praised Joe Hart’s mentality after his goalkeeper sealed a Scottish Gas Scottish Cup final place despite missing a penalty.

The Hampden crowd thought they had seen it all following a dramatic 3-3 draw between Celtic and Aberdeen, until Hart stepped up to take his side’s fifth penalty of the shoot-out at 4-3 up.

The former England goalkeeper, who celebrated his 37th birthday on Friday, hit the post himself before Aberdeen took the game into sudden death.

But Hart had the final say by saving Killian Phillips’ spot-kick to earn a 6-5 shoot-out win and set himself up to close the curtain on his career with a final against Rangers or Hearts on May 25.

Rodgers said: “We were going through it in the last couple of days and he was one of the designated takers, for the fifth one.

“I think he is trying to get it as wide as he can, he sees their goalkeeper (Kelle Roos) is injured, he is trying to move him as much as he can in the goal.

“But he lets it go and comes up and makes the crucial save for us.

“Joe is very upbeat and positive. I always say to players to take risks, and he is a very good penalty taker, we see it in training.

“He has taken it, he has missed it, but he didn’t get down on himself, and ended up being the hero.”

An afternoon of drama started in two minutes when Bojan Miovski fired Aberdeen ahead.

Nicolas Kuhn levelled after stand-in Aberdeen skipper Angus MacDonald was caught in possession and James Forrest looked to have won the game for Celtic after scoring 90 seconds after coming off the bench.

But Ester Sokler headed home in the 90th minute and MacDonald equalised in the 119th minute from a near identical goal after Matt O’Riley had fired Celtic back in front in extra-time.

Rodgers, who maintained his perfect Hampden record on his 10th visit, said: “It was a fantastic game. I said to the players, we don’t need football sessions over the next couple of days, we need therapy sessions after that. It will stand us in good stead going forward.

“Listen, it is part of the game, if you don’t close it out, then that can happen.

“We had to put it to one side, once we went to extra-time, and then didn’t quite see it through and then you have to focus on penalties, and what we worked on in the last couple of days. The players just had to commit to their side of the goal and they did that very well.”

Peter Leven missed the chance to lead Aberdeen out at Hampden in his final game as caretaker manager before the summer arrival of Jimmy Thelin, but his introduction of Sokler and Junior Hoillet, who set up two goals, sparked much of the drama.

Leven said: “The boys were brilliant and gave us everything. We had very good chances against a very good Celtic team. I am gutted but proud of the boys.”

Aberdeen had two notable penalty claims, once when Liam Scales was ruled to have handled just outside the box and a later one when Hoilett was felled by Cameron Carter-Vickers only to be penalised for an aerial challenge seconds earlier.

Leven said: “The fourth official said to me ‘it’s a penalty but there might have been a collision before that’, so they were checking that first. They gave the foul.”

Hart was not the only goalkeeper to be at the centre of drama in the shoot-out. Roos went down and needed treatment after the first seven penalties were scored, before Ryan Duncan hit the post following a long delay to set up Hart’s first chance to win it.

“I think he got cramp,” Leven said of his keeper. “We were trying to tell Ryan to get away from Joe Hart, I don’t know if Joe Hart was trying to get into his head. But two academy graduates, Ryan Duncan and Jack Milne, stepping up to take a penalty; I am proud of them.”

Celtic goalkeeper Joe Hart set himself up for a Scottish Gas Scottish Cup final farewell – despite missing a penalty in a shoot-out in a Hampden classic against Aberdeen.

Hart hit the post with Celtic’s fifth penalty following a thrilling 3-3 draw with the Dons but the victory was only delayed. The 36-year-old saved from Killian Phillips to ensure a 6-5 shoot-out win and a final date on May 25 against Rangers or Hearts ahead of his impending retirement.

It was a semi-final that had just about everything. Celtic recovered from Bojan Miovski’s early goal to led through goals from Nicolas Kuhn and substitute James Forrest, but substitute Ester Sokler headed home at the back post in the 90th minute.

Matt O’Riley fired Celtic ahead in extra-time but stand-in Dons captain Angus MacDonald atoned for the massive blunder that led to Celtic’s equaliser when he headed home in the 119th minute.

The shoot-out somehow surpassed the drama of the actual game as Hart took centre stage.

Brendan Rodgers has enjoyed far more straightforward afternoons at Hampden but still earned a perfect 10th victory at the national stadium in his first game here since the League Cup final in December 2018.

The Dons stunned the favourites two minutes in. Leighton Clarkson played a perfect pass inside Cameron Carter-Vickers to get Miovski in behind and the North Macedonia striker beat Hart to claim his 24th goal of the campaign.

Celtic created two half-chances to equalise but Yang Hyun-jun headed over and Kelle Roos stood up to parry Kyogo Furuhashi’s effort.

Aberdeen were otherwise keeping Celtic at bay until MacDonald took a poor second touch on the ball midway inside his half in the 21st minute. Furuhashi to raced away before his effort was blocked by Stefan Gartenmann, but the ball fell kindly for Kuhn, who rolled it past a stranded Roos.

Aberdeen had the best opportunity to take an interval lead but Hart saved from Gartenmann and Celtic had a let-off in the closing stages of the half when Scales handled just outside the box, according to a VAR check.

Rodgers made his first changes in the 62nd minute, Callum McGregor replaced by Tomoki Iwata and Yang making way for Forrest. The 32-year-old had a shot blocked even before netting 90 seconds after coming on.

The winger dropped the shoulder to cut inside his man before curling a perfect shot just inside the far post from 23 yards. It was his ninth goal in the latter stages of cup competitions.

Forrest forced Roos into a diving save but the game changed with the introduction of a second Aberdeen striker, Sokler, in the 79th minute.

Aerial balls led to two excellent chances for another substitute, Junior Hoilett, but a poor first touch saw him miss the first and Carter-Vickers blocked on the line from the second opportunity.

Scales headed over from six yards and Celtic paid the price for a poor pass forward from substitute Luis Palma. The ball was worked to Hoilett, who crossed to the back post for Sokler to head home.

Sokler stabbed wide in the opening moments of extra-time, although he would possibly have been called offside if it had gone to VAR, and Celtic got back on top before taking the lead in stoppage-time of the first period.

Forrest threaded a pass that allowed Alistair Johnston to run in behind and cut back for O’Riley, who found the top corner from eight yards.

The drama continued. Adam Idah had a headed goal disallowed for offside before failing to turn O’Riley’s square ball home.

Celtic survived another VAR penalty check after Carter-Vickers caught Hoilett, the video officials backing referee Don Robertson’s view that the Aberdeen winger had committed a foul on Johnston seconds beforehand.

Sokler missed from close range before MacDonald headed home in a near carbon copy of Sokler’s equaliser to spark wild celebrations on the trackside between players and fans.

Even the shoot-out had some outrageous twists. The first seven penalties were scored before Roos went down with apparent cramp and needed treatment. Ryan Duncan hit the post after the long delay.

The Celtic fans got a shock when Hart stepped up to take the penalty that would have sent Celtic into the final. The goalkeeper also hit the post.

Hoilett netted to send the tie into sudden death but Hart had the final say.

Philippe Clement has told his off-form Rangers players they must embrace an intense environment where results dictate whether they go to “heaven or hell”.

The Gers were widely lauded after a consistent run of form that saw them wipe out Celtic’s eight-point advantage at the top of the cinch Premiership to briefly take over at the summit in February.

However, they go into this Sunday’s Scottish Gas Scottish Cup semi-final against on-song Hearts having been ferociously criticised after slip-ups away to Ross County and Dundee over the past week left them with just two wins from their last eight games in all competitions and their title hopes hanging by a thread.

“If you win 10 games in a row, you have more belief than when you lose two times but this is Rangers, this is a club where you always have to fight,” said Clement.

“Every point you lose, it’s like you’re going to hell. That’s this world, and that’s good. That’s also the challenge and it’s interesting to see which players can live in that way.

“But it’s an exciting place to be because on the other side you can go also to heaven when you win games and when you win trophies.

“In other teams, where it’s not so important to win points or when it’s not something dramatic when you lose points, you cannot go to heaven also because those are not the clubs that win trophies. This is something you need to embrace.”

Clement insists he is comfortable with the intense scrutiny and criticism he has faced amid Rangers’ recent “bumps in the road”.

“I know it’s part of the job,” he said. “I’ve been now more than 30 years in this world and I’ve been buried a lot of times as a player and as a manager, so I know what I’m doing in a club. I know what I’m doing in this club. I know we are on the right road together.”

Clement described the demands of being in charge of Rangers as similar to managing former club Brugge in his homeland.

“Winning, becoming champion, is the only thing that counts,” he said. “But I’ve been like that all my life. There is nobody who can be more critical than me because I want to win everything.

“Everybody who knows me from when I was a child, whether it was basketball, tennis or table tennis or whatever sport, I want to win. I made a lot of fights with my wife about that, that I wanted that mentality with my children because I did it with them also.

“If I played a game with them and they were three years old, I wanted to win. That is the mentality that is necessary in a club like this, but you need to embrace that.

“It’s also because of that that you can be successful and you can win trophies and have these exciting moments that will stay with you for the rest of your life. That is what Rangers is about and that’s why I love to be here.”

Clement galvanised Rangers earlier in the season after replacing Michael Beale in October.

Asked what he would say to supporters who fear the resurgence is fizzling out, the Belgian said: “The same thing I said in October. I think this team since October did improve in results, in attitude and resilience, and in six months they proved it several times.

“So it’s there, they can do it. They’ve shown it several times with quality. That’s what they need to do again. So, yes, my belief is there 200 per cent.”

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has warned his players they cannot afford to “soften up” because of results elsewhere.

The cinch Premiership champions have seen their title hopes receive a major boost since beating St Mirren 3-0 on Saturday, after which Rangers dropped five points in games against Ross County and Dundee.

Celtic remain top by three points – and have a five-goal advantage – with five matches remaining in the league.

The championship race takes a back seat this weekend when Celtic take on Aberdeen in the Scottish Gas Scottish Cup semi-finals, before Rangers face Hearts at Hampden on Sunday.

Rodgers wants his side to remain focused on the task in hand and not slip into a comfort zone as a result of their rivals’ slip-ups.

“Our focus has always been on ourselves,” Rodgers said. “I made that point to the players.

“Irrespective of what happens or what other results (are) or the way it goes for other teams, we can only do our work.

“Because you can’t soften up – especially at this time just because another team might have drawn or lost. That’s irrelevant.

“You have to perform and get the result. If you come off it against teams who are motivated and organised, then they can give you a problem.

“So for us, we have to continually focus on our own performance – irrespective of what happens elsewhere because we have to create our story.  And for that we have to work at it. Hopefully that will be the storyline come the end of the season.”

Rodgers, who has Liam Scales back fit for the Hampden clash on Saturday, added: “We don’t play in the league for a week or so, so it’s not my focus

“My message has always been the same, it’s not how you start the marathon, it’s how you finish it. For us, we are improving day by day, looking good on the field, still with lots of improvement to make.

“Performances in the main have been good. But still a long, long way to go in terms of the league. Fifteen points is a lot of points to play for. But our focus now is just on getting to the final.”

When asked if he ever had any doubt that Celtic would come good during tough moments such as losing back-to-back league games in December, Rodgers said: “Listen, we haven’t won anything yet.

“We are in a semi-final, which is great, we are improving and the performance level is showing that. I demand more from the team and I will push right until that last whistle of the season.

“But for me it’s part of a league campaign – you will not play 38 games at the very highest level. You are going to have dips and waves, but your strength is how you shift that.

“That’s the real strength in those moments, whenever it isn’t going quite well, can you shift it and get the team back on track?

“And the players have been absolutely brilliant. They have had to dig in at lots of moments this season and get results.

“But we just chipped away and stayed focused on our game model and how we play, and whenever influential players come back in, then all the pieces come together again and the fluidity of the team is much better.

“You can never have doubt, and the more we work together, on and off the pitch, it all feels that everyone is on the same page.”

Lawrence Shankland is allowing himself to dream of adorning his already distinguished Hearts career with Scottish Cup glory as he targets semi-final revenge on Rangers this Sunday.

In less than two seasons at Tynecastle, the 28-year-old Scotland forward has firmly established himself as a hero in the eyes of supporters by notching 56 goals for the Jambos.

But Shankland knows captaining Hearts to their first silverware in 12 years would elevate his status at the club even further.

“It would be amazing,” he said. “You’re allowed to dream when you’re at this stage.

“The semi-final, one step away from a final, it’s obviously something you’re looking at. But you need to concentrate on the task at hand first and if you can get by that, you can continue to dream.

“All trophies help the status of not just me but the full team. You go down as a team that gets remembered if you can get your hands on a trophy so the boys will have that in their heads and that’s what we’ll look to do.

“It’s a great opportunity for us, it’s one we are all looking forward to and we need to go into it with a real positive outlook.”

Shankland was at Hampden for each of Hearts’ previous two Scottish Cup triumphs in 2006 and 2012.

“I was working at the 2012 final (against Hibernian) with Queen’s Park (where he was a young player) handing out the programmes,” he recalled. “And the one before that, against Gretna, I was at Hearts as a kid and got tickets through the club.

“I met the Gretna owner Brooks Mileson outside the ground and got a photo with him. Good memories, so hopefully we can go back this year and get our hands on the cup.”

Hearts’ last visit to Hampden brought a 3-1 defeat to Rangers in the semi-final of the Viaplay Cup in early November.

However, since that setback, at a time when they were struggling in the league, Steven Naismith’s side have found much improved form over the past six months and motored 11 points clear in third place in the cinch Premiership.

“The last time at Hampden we came away with a bit of regret,” said Shankland. “We felt we didn’t really put our stamp on the game and we let it bypass us, which was really disappointing.

“That was something we can learn from though, so hopefully we can implement what we’ve been working on this time.”

While Hearts go into the semi-final buoyed by back-to-back wins over St Mirren and Livingston, Rangers have won only two of their last eight matches in all competitions and have been heavily criticised as their title bid has unravelled in recent weeks.

“Obviously they’ve been going through a wee sticky spell but we know it’s going to be difficult,” said Shankland. “It’s a Scottish Cup semi-final, it’s away from league duty, so they will get a lift from that.

“If you look too much into their form, you could get caught. Rangers are obviously a good team and have been for the last wee while.

“Of course form maybe drops off a wee bit but it’s just the scrutiny of our league and how high the pressure is for the two teams at the top of the league that adds to it.

“I don’t think we can look at it too much. We’ll analyse Rangers as we know them, and the last time we played them at Ibrox, they gave us a bit of a doing (5-0), so that’s something we’ll need to be wary of.”

Aberdeen have reacted with disappointment over their Scottish Gas Scottish Cup semi-final ticket allocation after their offer to return any unsold tickets was declined.

The Dons have been allocated 19,000 tickets for their Hampden meeting with Celtic while Hearts will say they will receive an identical initial allocation of 21,000 to their opponents, Rangers.

Both of the last-four underdogs had sought a 50-50 split but the PA news agency understands Aberdeen declined the deal Hearts accepted, to underwrite the cost of any unsold tickets.

The Scottish Football Association announced that the Dons would face Celtic at 12.30pm on April 20 with Hearts playing Rangers at 3pm the following day.

A statement from Aberdeen read: “The club requested the opportunity to sell up to 50 per cent of the tickets, with any unsold tickets by an agreed date being allocated to our opponents.

“Disappointingly, this has once again been declined based primarily on historical ticket sales at this stage of the competition.

“As a result, the Aberdeen allocation for this match will be for up to 19,000 tickets, almost identical to the Viaplay Cup final in December, split between the South Stand and West Stand, depending on demand.”

Aberdeen quickly sold an initial 17,000 tickets for their Hampden clash with Rangers in December before problems emerged over a second batch of 2,500 tickets as fans complained over their loyalty points not being taken into account, while the club recalled tickets apparently sold to Light Blues fans.

They sold about 13,000 tickets for the League Cup semi-finals in each of the past two seasons, figures which were taken into account during this process.

Hearts were “delighted” to share their news with supporters.

A statement read: “The club put forward a proposal to secure an equal share of tickets, guaranteeing Hearts supporters the opportunity to purchase seats in Hampden’s North Stand.

“We had to make an extremely strong case for our argument, given the size of our opponents’ fanbase and historic semi-final ticket sales.

“We are, therefore, extremely pleased to confirm that our proposition was accepted, and both Hearts and Rangers will be given an initial 21k allocation of tickets to sell to our respective supporters.

“We would like to thank the Scottish FA for their assistance in this process.

“This gives us the best opportunity to have Steven Naismith and our players walk out onto the Hampden pitch to a sea of maroon, spread out equally and fairly across the national stadium.

“The door has now been opened for as many Hearts fans as possible to attend and, hopefully, have a special day out.

“One condition of this agreement is that the club covers the cost of any unsold tickets from our allocation so it is in all of our interests to sell out and give the team the level of backing that Hearts fans are famous for.”

Head coach Naismith welcomed the news.

“In the semi-final of the biggest cup competition in the country when you’ve got two of the biggest clubs in the country, it really should be (50/50),” he said. “It should be a great atmosphere to be involved in.”

The SFA declined to comment.

Aberdeen have been left disappointed after being handed 19,000 tickets for their Scottish Gas Scottish Cup semi-final – less than the Hampden allocation Hearts have received.

Both clubs sought a 50-50 split for their respective matches but only Hearts had their request granted.

The Edinburgh club say they have been allocated an identical initial share to Rangers of 21,000 seats in the 50,000-capacity national stadium.

The Dons will face Celtic at 12.30pm on April 20 with Hearts facing Rangers at 3pm the following day.

A statement from Aberdeen read: “The club requested the opportunity to sell up to 50 per cent of the tickets, with any unsold tickets by an agreed date being allocated to our opponents.

“Disappointingly, this has once again been declined based primarily on historical ticket sales at this stage of the competition.

“As a result, the Aberdeen allocation for this match will be for up to 19,000 tickets, almost identical to the Viaplay Cup final in December, split between the South Stand and West Stand, depending on demand.”

Hearts were “delighted” to share their news with supporters.

A statement read: “The club put forward a proposal to secure an equal share of tickets, guaranteeing Hearts supporters the opportunity to purchase seats in Hampden’s North Stand.

“We had to make an extremely strong case for our argument, given the size of our opponents’ fanbase and historic semi-final ticket sales.

“We are, therefore, extremely pleased to confirm that our proposition was accepted, and both Hearts and Rangers will be given an initial 21k allocation of tickets to sell to our respective supporters.

“We would like to thank the Scottish FA for their assistance in this process.

“This gives us the best opportunity to have Steven Naismith and our players walk out onto the Hampden pitch to a sea of maroon, spread out equally and fairly across the national stadium.

“The door has now been opened for as many Hearts fans as possible to attend and, hopefully, have a special day out.

“One condition of this agreement is that the club covers the cost of any unsold tickets from our allocation so it is in all of our interests to sell out and give the team the level of backing that Hearts fans are famous for.”

Head coach Naismith welcomed the news.

“In the semi-final of the biggest cup competition in the country when you’ve got two of the biggest clubs in the country, it really should be (50/50),” he said. “It should be a great atmosphere to be involved in.”

The Scottish FA has been approached for comment.

Hearts head coach Steven Naismith believes their recent progress and hunger for trophies will give them a chance against Rangers at Hampden after his side booked a Scottish Gas Scottish Cup semi-final place with a 1-0 win over Morton at Cappielow.

Naismith’s side were immediately handed a repeat of their Viaplay Cup semi-final, which Rangers won 3-1 in November, in the draw for the last four.

Hearts are looking to reach their fourth Scottish Cup final in six years, but Naismith and his players are determined to go one better and seal their first triumph in the tournament since 2012.

Naismith said: “Fortunately we have been in a semi-final before this season so we have got to use that. And we will look forward to it, you work hard to get through the rounds to get to the latter stages.

“We have had a good bit of progression since the last semi-final, we want to progress again and give ourselves a chance to win it.

“You have got to have that demand and hunger to win trophies and we are building that, so hopefully we can have a good day.”

Naismith’s side survived some pressure at Cappielow and advanced thanks to an angled drive from Kenneth Vargas in the 86th minute.

“Coming away from home at probably one of the toughest grounds you will go to, we know what it was going to be like,” he said.

“It was about taking the emotion out of the game and having a clear picture out of possession when they are going to be a bit direct – every throw-in, corner, set-play was going to get a reaction from the crowd. It was about understanding that and not panicking, which I thought we did really well.

“We should have scored earlier, but the key was patience. Our control of the ball, especially the second half, was really good, which ultimately led to three or four good chances.”

Hearts needed goalkeeper Craig Gordon to be at his best and the 41-year-old made three impressive saves to keep his first clean sheet since recovering from a double leg break.

“I’ve said it all along, he’s back to where he was before,” Naismith said. “He’s worked really hard, got a drive and his experience in coming for balls and taking the pressure off is invaluable. But it is brilliant to have two great goalies.”

Morton manager Dougie Imrie felt his side deserved to be heading to Hampden.

Imrie said: “I stand here extremely proud of them. At times we went toe to toe with a top Premiership team.

“They will know themselves they are lucky to be in the semi-finals. I thought we deserved to be in there, but unfortunately we just fell short.”

Morton’s focus now turns to staying in the cinch Championship’s top four and sealing a play-off place.

“We are in a great position,” Imrie said. “We have a tough game on Saturday away at Partick, but after that we’ve got two or three games on the bounce at home and we have to take advantage of that.”

Kenneth Vargas hit a late winner as Hearts came through a difficult encounter at Cappielow to reach the Scottish Gas Scottish Cup semi-finals.

The Coast Rican forward fired home in the 86th minute to secure a 1-0 victory over Morton, who had been denied several times by some impressive Craig Gordon saves.

Hearts began to find their attacking form in the final half hour and Vargas powered home a low angled drive after Beni Baningime drove forward and fed Lawrence Shankland.

The victory seals a second semi-final for Steven Naismith’s side this season and leaves them 90 minutes away from a potential fourth Scottish Cup final in six seasons.

The match pitted two of Scotland’s recent in-form sides against each other. Morton had gone on a 16-match unbeaten run, which took them from bottom of the cinch Championship into the promotion play-off places, before suffering home defeats against Inverness and Dundee United in their previous two matches.

Although manager Dougie Imrie had lost the likes of George Oakley, Iain Wilson and Jai Quitongo since the fifth-round win over Motherwell, former Rangers defender Kirk Broadfoot returned from injury to take his place in the back three.

Hearts had won 12 of their previous 15 games and had Vargas back in their line-up after the attacker missed their victory over Celtic.

Morton signalled their intent to test Hearts in the air when Lewis Strapp hurled an early throw-in into the box from 10 yards inside the visiting half.

Another ball into the Hearts box drew the first chance as Gordon used his frame to block Darragh O’Connor’s header following an Alan Power free-kick.

The away supporters had to wait until the half-hour mark before seeing their team come close – Shankland’s first-time shot on the turn was pushed wide by Ryan Mullen.

Alan Forrest saw two efforts deflected wide and Morton were forced deep in the latter stages of the half, but Gordon had to watch Robbie Muirhead’s free-kick as it bounced into his arms.

Both sides stepped up their attacking threat at the start of the second half.

Morton had some initial pressure, but Hearts midfielder Baningime missed the chance of the game so far when he sent a free header over the crossbar from Stephen Kingsley’s cross.

The home side responded by creating two equally strong opportunities.

Gordon pulled off excellent stops from Jack Baird’s header and Strapp’s effort after the left-back had burst into the box.

Mullen was also impressing in the opposite goal and he produced a diving save from Cammy Devlin’s strike from 18 yards.

The game had the sort of edge expected of the occasion and former Morton loan star Shankland was booked for pushing Strapp to the ground in front of the “cowshed” as the home fans shouted for David Dickinson to wave a red card.

The Scotland striker was being watched by international manager Steve Clarke ahead of him naming his latest squad and he set up Vargas for an excellent chance after initially looking like he might get in behind himself.

Vargas had time to pick his spot from 10 yards, but lifted the ball on to the top of the bar and over.

Shankland then set up Aidan Denholm but the substitute shot straight at Mullen, who trapped the ball between his legs.

The skipper would have a major say in the winner though as he collected Baningime’s pass and allowed Vargas to take over.

Nick Montgomery was pleased to report Martin Boyle is stable in hospital after injury curtailed his part in nine-man Hibernian’s 2-0 Scottish Gas Scottish Cup defeat by Rangers at Easter Road.

Midfielder John Lundstram bundled in the opener in the 23rd minute after goalkeeper David Marshall had saved a penalty from captain James Tavernier before Boyle was taken away on a stretcher after landing following a duel with defender John Souttar.

Hibs defender Jordan Obita was sent off in the 68th minute for picking up the second of two yellow cards for using an arm to stop substitute Rabbi Matondo before Nathan Moriah-Welsh was shown a straight red by referee Steven McLean three minutes later for a two-footed challenge on Lundstram.

Striker Fabio Silva added a second as Rangers joined Aberdeen and Celtic in the semi-final draw, with Championship side Morton hosting Hearts on Monday night.

Hibs boss Montgomery gave a positive post-match update on Boyle, saying: “I’ve just had a report that Martin is stable and that’s the most important thing.

“Football is just a game and while Martin’s an important player for us, he’s a human being too.

“I think it’s a bit of concussion and maybe a little bit of neck pain. Fingers crossed he makes a speedy recovery because he was in a bit of pain.”

Montgomery was unimpressed with Lundstram’s reaction to Moriah-Welsh’s tackle.

He said: “I haven’t seen Jordan’s incident to be honest. I know he was on a yellow. He tried to hold Matondo off but apparently he’s caught him on the back of the head with his arm.

“Jordan is an experienced player so, if he has done something that is deemed a yellow card, you don’t want that.

“Nathan is just 21 years old, he’s new to first-team football. And, to be honest, it was right in front of me.

“I’ve got a lot of respect for John Lundstram. He’s a top, top player. But I thought the way he went down, Nathan didn’t catch him.

“I’ve seen that one back and he’s gone across him to try to block him playing a ball down the line, probably knock it out for a throw-in. But John has gone down.

“And the referee was very quick to give the card. To be honest, I was really surprised he didn’t go to the VAR monitor to have a look, considering it was three metres from where the incident happened.”

Rangers boss Philippe Clement called for “reckless” tackles to be taken out of the game as he discussed Moriah-Welsh’s red card.

He said: “If you put a hand or an arm in the face you can get a yellow, that everybody knows.

“The (Moriah-Welsh) tackle was a few yards away from me. It is a reckless tackle with the studs in front and it doesn’t matter then if you break a leg or not.

“It is just reckless. I think it is important to get that kind of tackle out of the game.

“In the last couple of weeks sometimes when we didn’t get the red card and I was not happy about that.

“I think tackles like that are not good for Scottish football, English football, Belgian football, German football. Players need to know if you tackle like that you get a red card.

“It is for nobody good because it is a danger to injure someone if you go in like that.”

The Belgian was frustrated with Dujon Sterling and his replacement Ross McCausland having to come off and both will be assessed ahead of Thursday night’s Europa League last-16 game against Benfica at Ibrox, with the tie balanced at 2-2 following last week’s game in Lisbon.

Ryan Jack, Abdallah Sima, Oscar Cortes, Kieran Dowell and Danilo are also carrying injuries.

Clement said: “I am not happy, of course, that Dujon and Ross had to come off. It is not a good thing.

“We are going to see in the next couple of days if they are going to be available for Thursday or not.”