Hibs 1 Rangers 4: Emphatic end to unbeaten run

Published on Monday 28 December 2009 09:42

THE longer Hibs' unbeaten run went on the more it was going to hurt when it eventually, but inevitably, came to an end. And so it proved as John Hughes' side, having clocked up 12 league games without defeat, a feat last achieved at Easter Road some 60 years ago, came to an abrupt end.

As it was, today's players fell just one short of the 13 matches without a loss recorded by the team of 1949. No shame in that but few would have envisaged a run stretching back to mid-September would be halted in such a brutal manner, one which hinted that former Hibs star Kevin Thomson's prediction that the rest of the pack will find themselves 20 or even 25 points behind the Old Firm come the end of the season may well prove to be correct.

If Hibs have emerged as the leading contenders to be considered the best-equipped side to take the challenge to Rangers and Celtic then, as Hughes has been warning all along as the hype surrounding his side has grown with each passing result, there is still something of a gap which divides Glasgow's big two from the rest even if their air of invincibility – at least domestically – has appeared to be on the wane.

A mere five points separated Hibs and Rangers going into this match, enticing Easter Road's biggest crowd of the season from their armchairs despite the noon kick-off, the game being shown live on television and the threat of further heavy snow showers engulfing the Capital.

By the time referee Iain Brines sounded the final whistle, the SPL leaders' advantage had grown to eight, not insurmountable with even Rangers boss Walter Smith predicting Hibs will prove to be more than capable of taking points off not only his side but Celtic before the season is out.

Whether that will be enough to narrow that gap once again remains to be seen but, in the natural way of things in the SPL, one can only imagine that the Old Firm will slowly but surely ease themselves further away from the other protagonists, the fight as we all probably knew deep within ourselves, being for third place.

"It's going to be a two-horse race," Hughes stated afterwards, not a defeatist stance but one he's argued, to a diminishing audience as Hibs' unbeaten run grew, on a weekly basis, reasoning that while he's been pleasantly surprised by the progress made since he took over from Mixu Paatelainen barely six months ago, there's still plenty of work ahead.

Hughes won't like his position being vindicated in such a cruel fashion as it was, but he insisted that in coming from behind following the shock loss of a goal after just 12.4 seconds, Anthony Stokes claiming the quickest SPL strike on record as he netted for the sixth time in four games and the tenth this season, Rangers had displayed all the characteristics he is demanding from his own side.

Pointing out that Smith's players had hit top form, at least domestically, over the month of December with four straight wins, an astonishing 19 goals now scored and just three lost, a disappointed Hibs boss said: "Give Rangers credit, they showed the steel, mentality and spirit they have, something you have to take your hat off to.

"I'll be taking that on board and see if we can bring that sort of application and desire to Hibs. I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to play for the Old Firm and you know it is 'must win' every game. That's what I am wanting at this club but you have to give me a chance. I have only been here six months." As Hughes agreed, Hibs got off to the best possible start with that goal from Stokes, the visiting defence apparently mesmerised as Merouane Zemmama skipped his way forward before supplying the Republic of Ireland striker who needed no second invitation to unleash a shot which zipped across Allan McGregor and in off the far post.

It was dream time for the home fans, fantasy football with the collective thought being that even Hughes couldn't deny Hibs' title credentials. And for the following few minutes it appeared as if the Edinburgh club were set, as Zemmama had predicted, to blow the race for the flag wide open.

While Rangers struggled to get to the tempo of the game, you could see the home side's confidence, already sky-high, soar to a new level as they stroked the ball around with aplomb only for everything to come crashing down about their ears.

And to make it worse, the damage was self-inflicted, Liam Miller's pass picked off far too easily by Nacho Novo who wasted no time in supplying Kris Boyd who, in turn, fed ex-Hibs hitman Kenny Miller and, like Stokes before him, he wasn't for hanging about, dispatching a low shot beyond Yves Ma-Kalambay.

Boyd, closing in game-by-game on Henrik Larsson's SPL scoring record, claimed his customary goal but, again, it was a gift. Sol Bamba elected to pass his way out of trouble rather than simply hoofing clear and in so doing put Derek Riordan in trouble just outside his own area.

Riordan, too, had time to avert danger but with both Kirk Broadfoot and Madjid Bougherra closing him down, he attempted to take them on, was dispossessed and the Algerian supplied the inviting cross for Boyd to nip in before Chris Hogg.

Novo ended Hibs' hopes seven minutes into the second half, taking Boyd's pass and beating Ma-Kalambay, who had anticipated a cross and taken a step out, at his near post. Hughes said: "Did they have to do much to beat us?

"I think we beat ourselves in terms of the goals we gave away which was disappointing. Big Maka should have done better for the third goal but a lot of stuff happened in front of him where our decision-making was poor. Fundamentally we were poor."

Miller's second goal, and his sixth in just three games, was immaterial although it served to underline just what a bad day at the office it was for Hibs defensively, their record of having conceded just ten in 16 matches and just three at home shattered just as convincingly as their unbeaten run.

The test now, of course, will be for Hibs at McDiarmid Park on Wednesday night with Hughes knowing his players will again be under close scrutiny by those anxious to see if this result was merely a blip or the start of something he'd rather not contemplate.

He said: "I am not going to be too hard on my boys. They have been fantastic since I came to the club. Maybe this was a blessing in disguise. It was always going to happen, we were always going to lose a game. What we have to do now is roll the sleeves up and ask if we can bounce back from it."

Claiming he'd seen some questions answered over these 90 minutes, when asked what the biggest answer he'd received had been, Hughes replied: "That possibly we can't match the Old Firm which is disappointing but once again that's not an excuse.

"We were playing the Scottish champions, a team that's hit form at the moment.

"We scored and I felt we were on the front foot for a good 20 or 30 minutes but then I think we got scared a wee bit and then I am asking myself why did we get scared, why did we stop playing?"

STAR MAN

SOUNDS strange with Hibs having lost four goals but SOL BAMBA marked an unexpected appearance with a storming display, winning his challenges on the ground and in the air. He was also never afraid to charge forward.

TOP SHOT

ANTHONY STOKES looked a striker on fire with the SPL's quickest-ever goal, a terrific shot which went across Allan McGregor and crashed in off the far post.

TOP SAVE

ALLAN McGREGOR ensured there would be no chance of Hibs attempting any sort of comeback as he got down sharply to grasp substitute Abdessalam Benjelloun's low shot.

REF WATCH

IAIN BRINES got it spot-on in denying Rangers a penalty when Kenny Miller went down under Chris Hogg's challenge but was willing to take an ear-bashing from the striker but not Sol Bamba, who was booked for dissent.

GOALS

Hibs: Stokes (12 secs); Rangers: K Miller (20, 65), Boyd (36), Novo (52).

SHOTS ON TARGET

Hibs 4

Rangers 5

SHOTS OFF TARGET

Hibs 4

Rangers 5

CORNERS

Hibs 3

Rangers 8

OFFSIDE

Hibs 2

Rangers 6

FOULS AGAINST

Hibs 5

Rangers 15

BOOKINGS

Hibs: (82, Bamba dissent)

ATTENDANCE

16,894

NEXT MATCH

v St Johnstone (a), SPL, Wed, 30 Dec, 7.45pm

TEAMS

HIBS

Ma-Kalambay

Wotherspoon

Hogg

Bamba

Hanlon

Zemmama

L Miller

Rankin

Riordan

Stokes

Nish

SUBSTITUTIONS

Galbraith 68 (Zemmama)

McCormack 68 (Riordan)

Benjelloun 76 (Nish)

Flynn

Thicot

Cregg

Stevenson

FORMATION

4-4-2

RANGERS

McGregor

Broadfoot

Weir

Bougherra

Papac

Lafferty

Davis

McCulloch

Novo

K Miller

Boyd

SUBSTITUTIONS

Edu 74 (Lafferty)

Whittaker 80 (Miller)

Alexander

Smith

Fleck

Little

Wilson

FORMATION

4-4-2