“Hearts have arrived”…but McInnis warns it could get better

But what about the Hearts coach himself? McInnes stresses that his team needs to improve if it wants to remain in the title competition.

“I certainly hope we can make this a special season,” he said.

“I always hear that we’re at the top of the league just because teams aren’t as good as they usually are, but our actual points tally is actually about where a team should be at the top of the table.

“I think there are more wins for us. I expect us to improve as we go forward.

“We just want games to get bigger and bigger, and for Hearts to stay relevant, we just need to keep getting wins.”

Hearts have scored in 16 of their 18 Premier League matches – more than any other team in the division – with top scorer Lawrence Shankland on nine goals after scoring the second goal against Rangers.

The Scottish striker insists Hearts “just need to focus on ourselves” rather than looking at the league table.

“Once you start looking elsewhere, it can cause problems,” he said. “So as long as you focus on getting three points every week, you will be in a good place.”

Shankland said it feels like people are suggesting “it’s a huge game” every week now, and he and his teammates are enjoying the challenge.

“It’s fun, it’s good pressure and the boys seem to be thriving now,” he said.

He added: “We are in a good place, a good position, and it is clear that we will go into the derby with confidence, so it is good to be in it.”