The Jambos boss admitted he “did not like us at all in the first half” as his team were outplayed by Gers and trailed at the break to a deflected Dujon Sterling goal.

But McInnes sparked a second-half turnaround by sending on Blair Spittal for the ineffective Islam Chesnokov and reminding his side why they had been top of the table since late September.

Stephen Kingsley and Lawrence Shankland got the goals before Rangers substitute Thelo Aasgaard headed against the bar late on as Hearts moved on to 76 points – a club record tally.

With just three games remaining in their quest for a first title since 1960, the win leaves McInnes’ team three points clear of second-placed Celtic with a superior goal difference, while Gers are seven points behind in third, all but out of the race after a second consecutive defeat.

“Our second-half performance got us the goals that allowed us to win the game, but a nod to the supporters, it was pure theatre at the start,” said manager McInnes. “It was just magnificent. It’s exactly how we wanted it to be and hoped it would be and they played their part.

“I thought Rangers played really well for about 25-30 minutes in the first half. Half-time couldn’t come quick enough for us to make changes.

“It wasn’t a change of system in the second half, it was a change of mindset, a change of approach and a wee reminder to them that they didn’t get top of the league by turning up and playing the way they did in the first half.

“We were out-fought and out-run and we needed more responsibility from all of them, more determination.

“It’s not easy to put 90-minute performances in, but we needed a big 45 and thankfully our 45 had far more impact than what Rangers had in the first half.”

McInnes refused to rule Rangers out of contention but believes his team have now put themselves in such a strong position they have to make it count.

“I’m not here to get a pat on the back for a good old Hearts putting up a fight,” he said. “It’s way beyond that now. We’ve got to try and go and win it now.”

Gers boss Danny Rohl admitted his team are now in “a really difficult position” as they prepare to visit Glasgow rivals Celtic on Sunday following back-to-back defeats by Motherwell and Hearts.

“We showed in the first half maybe one of the best away performances against a strong side,” said the German.

“It’s not enough when you play just one half on your best level. I see a lot of improvements, but it is finally maybe not good enough to win the title this year.

“We have still nine points to play for, this is what we have to do and from this moment I push them again in the right direction.”