Kris Boyd fired an injury-time penalty to secure a 2-1 win for ten-man Rangers in a bad tempered affair at Tynecastle.

It had all looked different for Walter Smith’s men when Kevin Thomson was sent off after 13 minutes and Hearts took a 31st minute lead when David Witteveen's shot eluded Allan McGregor.

But Lee McCulloch drew things level with a 63rd minute header before Boyd’s last minute penalty sealed it after Ismael Bouzid fouled Steven Naismith in the box.

But despite disagreeing with Thomson’s red card Smith was delighted to grab the three points.

"I don't think it was a sending off, but it was an opportunity for the referee to send him off,” said Smith – whose side moved to second in the SPL table with the win.

"I thought it looked far worse than it actually was. I don't think there was any great contact made and obviously if there had been, the player would never have been able to continue in the manner he did do for the rest of the game.

"In the second half we played better, we imposed ourselves on the game. Sometimes when you've got 10 men you can play between the opposition a bit better strangely enough.

"At the time we took the lead I felt we deserved it for what we had put in to the game in the second half."