Youssef Chermiti’s weaknesses were exposed in damning stats as Rangers suffer title blow vs Hearts

Youssef Chermiti failed to make a difference as Rangers were beaten by Hearts on Monday, in a huge blow to their hopes of lifting the Scottish Premiership.

The visitors had gone ahead at Tynecastle Park, with Dujon Sterling’s deflected volley finding its way past Alexander Schwolow in the opening half.

But the league leaders grew as the game went on, and Stephen Kingsley reacted quickly to guide home after Alexandros Kyziridis’ effort hit the post.

Lawrence Shankland’s powered strike then found the bottom corner to give Hearts the lead, with Danny Rohl’s team ultimately unable to respond.

Rangers’ form has taken a downturn over the last two games in a hugely damaging couple of weeks that now leaves them seven points behind the league leaders.

Youssef Chermiti’s dismal stats vs Hearts

Football Insider exclusively revealed last month that Rangers will only consider Chermiti’s exit for a big fee this summer.

The striker cost the Gers around £10million when they signed him from Everton last summer, and he has enjoyed an up-and-down start to his career at Ibrox.

The 21-year-old has 12 goals in 38 games across all competitions, and has often been the man for the big moments.

In January, Chermiti scored a brace against Celtic, and he did it again when they met at Ibrox in March.

Even more crucial was a hat-trick in February, when Rangers saw off the visit of Hearts to put themselves in a great position to hunt down the leaders.

Rohl would have hoped for a similar display on Monday, but he was sorely disappointed with what he got in response.

Chermiti failed to aim a single shot on target, or create a chance for his teammates. He was dispossessed twice, committed five fouls and lost a staggering 20 duels.

Danny Rohl continues to back Chermiti

Chermiti’s opening months at Ibrox under the management of Russell Martin were extremely difficult, and Rangers fans were left wondering why so much money had been invested in him.

But under Rohl, the Portugal youth international has come on leaps and bounds, becoming a key part of the push towards the title.

“Honestly, for me, Youssef is the role model for our development from October to now,” Rohl said last week.

“I think he had a really difficult time in October, November, and maybe if you ask people now, nobody will say he should be on the bench.

“You see how hard he works for the group in every single game at the moment. He scores goals, he is involved in dangerous situations, he is outstanding in training at the moment, he really improved and this is fantastic to see.”

Rohl added: “Youssef did really well and I am really happy to have him here. Hopefully he scores more goals and he has big courage. In big games he is always pressing on the pitch. This is good to have.”

Monday’s performance will have wilted that trust ever so slightly, but the German is not one for hasty decisions.

Updated 24/7 with expert analysis from the heart of Govan.