Antonio Colak's ruthless returns revealed in Rangers' punchy 4-0 performance

His side had established a two-goal lead by the time Cammy Devlin saw red and in contrast to Robbie Neilson’s comments, that dismissal didn’t change the game’s outcome. As the xG trendline shows, which charts the opportunities either team created, the visitors were well on course for victory by the time Hearts went down to 10 men on 39 minutes.

Admittedly, the extra man helped the visitors to control exchanges. Rangers made 105 passes in the opposition half before the break and 215 after it. In addition, they saw a number of transitions break down at the final pass when the numbers were equal and saw a perfectly legitimate Scott Arfield goal ruled out for an apparent foul on Craig Gordon.

Van Bronckhorst opted to start Rabbi Matondo and Ryan Kent together for just the second time this season. And the width they provided was key to both early goals. As depicted in the below pass network, which charts the average position from which players made their passes, the wide areas were prioritised for building play and launching attacks.

Scott Arfield, Antonio Colak and Ryan Jack all have smaller circles than their teammates, showing they played a lower number of passes. Rangers looked to create attacks quickly and directly, often targeting either winger or going over the top.

The common combinations from the match show the majority of passes were played deep in the pitch, before a quick attack was launched.

A look at the passes played by Connor Goldson, Ben Davies and John Lundstram before the interval, with the game 11vs11, demonstrates these long diagonals to either wing. Even when unsuccessful, shown in yellow, the distribution was effective. Colak's opener originated after one of Goldson's diagonals failed to find its target.

Meanwhile, Hearts did try to position their block aggressively. But they weren’t given the opportunity to press Rangers and the long, passes they faced often eliminated their midfield.

To capitalise on the final third moments Rangers needed their forwards to be clinical and in Antonio Colak, they have a player who can do just that. Based on the time spent on the pitch so far, the Croatian forward is averaging 1.23 goals per 90 in the Scottish Premiership, scoring eight goals from 3.32xG.

Yesterday he found the corner with a header. Turning a 0.08xG chance into a 0.76PsxG. Remember, xG tells us the likelihood of a chance resulting in a goal and PsxG revaluates that based on the quality of the strike.

His second goal saw him chop the ball back across the onrushing Craig Gordon to find the back of the net.

The 0.26PsxG rating shows Gordon should have perhaps done better from the angle, but Colak was patient in waiting for the veteran keeper to commit and leave a gap to squeeze the ball home.

Scoring headers from left-hand side crosses and finishing across his body when receiving from the right is a trend the Rangers Review highlighted when discussing Colak’s goalscoring in the international break.

Overall, Rangers’ xG stood at 2.06.

Alfredo Morelos scored his third form a 0.15xG chance.

And Kent notched a late fourth from a 0.06xG chance, originating from a tight angle.

This wasn't a 'perfect performance' that quietens all concerns from before the international break. Arguably, Hearts' game plan suited Rangers because it allowed the visitors to go direct, rather than forcing them to build through the thirds and break down the defence.

Equally, van Bronckhorst will judge his team to be much improved. They attacked quickly, executed ruthlessly and worked themselves into a commanding position even before the red card. It was a step in the direction they want to travel.