The Portugal Under-21s international hit his first hat-trick in a comeback win at league leaders Hearts
Youssef Chermiti celebrates Rangers third goal of the game during the William Hill Premiership match between Rangers and Heart of Midlothian at Ibrox Stadium. Photo by WM Sport Media/Getty Images
Youssef Chermiti celebrates Rangers third goal of the game during the William Hill Premiership match between Rangers and Heart of Midlothian at Ibrox Stadium. Photo by WM Sport Media/Getty Images
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Youssef Chermiti celebrated a "special" moment in his career after his hat-trick blew open the Scottish title race.
The 21-year-old proved the difference as Rangers secured a comeback win at league leaders Hearts, levelling just before the break and then scoring twice in the second half to deliver a 4-2 win at Tynecastle.
With Celtic having secured a similarly dramatic win at Kilmarnock earlier on Sunday, the result meant the sides are now separated by just three points in a three-way battle for the Scottish Premiership.
For Chermiti, the performance represented another step forward in his long, difficult fight for recognition. After a goalless two-year stint with Everton his £8m move to Ibrox was quickly questioned by Rangers supporters. Scrutiny continued when director of football Kevin Thelwell, who took him first to Merseyside and then made him a statement signing in his first transfer window at the Scottish giants, left the club amid the fallout from a terrible start to the season.
Chermiti, a Portugal Under-21s international whose opportunities at Everton were limited by relegation pressure and injury, has shown glimmers of promise as Rangers' season has improved under new manager Danny Rohl - he started the year with a brace in an Old Firm derby win at Celtic.
His hat-trick, the first goal of which came with Rangers trailing 2-1 in Edinburgh, will now turbocharge the growth in his reputation. Acknowledging this after the game, he said: "Every goal for this club is a big moment for me so yeah, it was good and I enjoyed it.
"The stadium was really rocking today and the atmosphere was really good. As I said before, we now look forward to the next game and we are going to try and make more wins and just keep getting three points. The most important thing for me is the three points. If other players scored the hat-trick, that would be good as well.
"But it is always special scoring the first hat-trick for this club. It does give you more confidence and freedom to show my potential, my skills and my abilities, so yeah I think it is very good."
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Chermiti now has seven goals in 19 SPL games, a solid return to goalscoring after his frustration with Everton. Sean Dyche, the manager in his first season at the club, openly conceded Chermiti was unfortunate in his position at the club, the Blues boss largely deeming him too inexperienced to throw into the heat of a relegation battle but too important in a threadbare squad to be allowed to gain experience on loan.
The former Sporting starlet then looked set for his breakthrough after a promising start to pre-season in summer 2024 - only to suffer serious injuries before the Premier League campaign began and then, last January, as he built towards a comeback. He had cameos under both Dyche and David Moyes but the arrival of £27m forward Thierno Barry in the summer meant he was set to start this season as third choice forward in a system that typically uses just one forward.
When Thelwell approached his old club with a deal that includes around £2m in add-ons it appeared to be good business for Moyes and Everton. Chermiti is still in the process of proving himself at his new club, but his heroics on Sunday will undoubtedly help and his joy in the aftermath was understable. He reflected: "It was a great afternoon for us and obviously for the team. For me, it was very good to score a hat-trick, my first hat-trick, and I am happy for that."
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