Rangers edge out Hibs in thrilling encounter

A stunning 30-yard strike from John Rankin was not enough to salvage a point for Hibs as Rangers closed the gap at the top of the SPL to a single point.

An outstanding volley from Steven Whittaker gave Walter Smith’s men the lead after just 90 seconds, but a determined Hibernian side levelled the score when Steven Fletcher’s glancing header found the back of the Rangers net.

The Gers put themselves ahead for the second time when Andrius Velicka fired a shot past Grzegorz Szamotulski, and looked to have the game wrapped up when Maurice Edu poked the ball over the line following a scrap in the Hibs 18-yard box.

Rankin’s memorable strike brought Hibs back into the game with seven minutes still to play, but Rangers secured all three points with the game ending 3-2.

Two notable exclusions from the Rangers team sheet were former skipper Barry Fergusson and keeper Alan McGregor. Both players are now available for selection following their two-match ban for a breach of discipline whilst on international duty, but Smith decided to omit the controvercial duo from his squad.

The match was played at a high tempo from the offset, and the opening goal set the tone for what would be a thrilling encounter. A defensive header from Chris Hogg fell to the feet of Whittaker, who unleashed a perfectly placed volley on goal to open Rangers’ account.

However, the early goal seemed to spur on a spirited Hibs side, and decent scoring chances opened up for Derek Riordan, Fletcher and Colin Nish in the opening 15 minutes.

Rangers could have found themselves two goals to the good in the 24th minute, but Edu failed to latch onto Steven Smith’s curling free-kick.

Smith came close to scoring on the half-hour mark, but his shot was cleared by Denes Rosa. Rangers then came tantalisingly close to scoring from the resulting corner, but Szamotulski was able to keep the home side’s deficit to a single goal.

But it was Hibs who were next to find the back of the net, when a fine cross from full-back Lewis Stevenson was headed home by Fletcher on 33 minutes bringing the game back on level terms.

The Hibees might have found themselves in the lead on the stoke of half time when substitute Jonatan Johansson, on for the injured Colin Nish, fired a low drive at the Rangers goal, but a decent save from Neil Alexander kept the score at 1-1.

Six minutes into the 2nd half, Rangers restored their lead when Velicka chested down a long ball from Whittaker before firing a powerful shot past the hapless Szamotulski.

Chris Boyd then squandered an opportunity to provide Gers with a two-goal cushion just short of the hour mark, failing to beat the Hibs keeper following a Smith free-kick.

Substitute Kenny Miller came close to increasing the away side’s tally in the 71st minute, but a fine save from Szamotulski denied his well-struck attempt. The resulting corner, however, yielded a goal for the Light Blues as Edu hit the ball into the back of the net following a save and a goal-line clearance from man of the match Souleymane Bamba.

With full-time approaching, the Ibrox side looked destined to claim all three points, but Rankin’s wonder-strike in the 83rd minute made for a nervy ending. It was, however, too late for a Hibs come-back and the match finished 3-2, with Rangers continuing to pressurise Celtic who currently occupy top spot in the SPL.

After the match, Hibernian manager Mixu Paatelainen hailed his team’s performance but lamented the fact that Hibs were unable to walk away with at least a point.

“We passed the ball as we wanted, created problems and got a fantastic equaliser,” he said, adding, “It was a fantastic performance but I can’t be satisfied if there are no points.

“It was a really entertaining game; plenty goals, plenty opportunities.”

Rangers boss Smith said: “The early goal gave us a nice cushion but we needed it because Hibs played well and put us under a lot of pressure.

“The game was fairly even in the first half and in the second half we played a lot better.”