Darrn McGregor proud of Hibs' response against Rangers at Ibrox

Hibs defender Darren McGregor hailed his sides performance against a team full of internationals. Picture: SNS.

The Easter Road defender spent a season at Rangers but never experienced anything as loud as the Govan ground at the weekend.

Hibs struggled in an intense opening spell after slipping behind in just the third minute to an Alfredo Morelos header.

Kenny Miller also hit the post as Rangers went for the jugular right from the off.

But Simon Murray’s equaliser followed by Ryan Jack’s red card and a James Tavernier own goal turned the tables and Vykintas Slivka’s second-half drive ensured Tavernier’s late header was just a consolation.

Hibs manager Neil Lennon’s celebration of Murray’s leveller, cupping his ears and aiming an underarm gesture at the main stand, and the reaction to it since, has overshadowed the on-field display by his team.

But McGregor believes the capital club, who also won their league opener against Partick Thistle, deserve praise for the way they stood up to Rangers in the 3-2 victory. He said: “It’s definitely character-building to come to Ibrox, in front of 50,000 fans and lose a goal after two minutes.

“It was very disappointing, but I thought we showed great heart and determination to come back and perform the way we did over the course of the 90 minutes.

“I’ve never heard noise like that. We were commenting on it in the changing room afterwards.

“The boys were saying it went above noise, it was that intense.

“I think that’s why it took us ten minutes just to get settled and by that time we were 1-0 down.

“But great credit to the boys and to the travelling away fans, they were high volume all game.”

Aside from Lennon’s touchline antics, controversy was sparked by Jack’s red card and John Beaton’s decision to show just a yellow to Anthony Stokes following an altercation with Tavernier.

But McGregor claims Beaton’s decision to send off Jack, apparently for an alleged headbutt on Stokes, was the right one.

He added: “It definitely benefited us.

“I think the boy Jack’s lost his cool in an intense situation, which you can’t do.

“He’s pressed his head up against Stokesy, so he was rightly sent off. That’s obviously swung the ball in our favour, but at that point – at 1-1 – we still had to carve out openings against a team full of internationalists, a really good team, in their own back yard.

“So, credit to the boys for doing that.”

Meanwhile, McGregor reserved special praise for Murray, who took his tally for the season to ten goals in seven competitive matches since arriving from Dundee United this summer.

He told Hibs TV: “I wouldn’t like to say he’s proving people wrong but the number of goals he’s scored, and important goals he scored, since he came in and his workrate, his overall game play, has just been superb.

“He probably could have got a couple on Saturday.

“He’ll continue to get better, because I know what kind of person he is.

“He’s a hard worker and  he analyses every performance. He’ll just get better and better.

“To have ten goals already in competitive games so far, when a few pundits were writing him off, is just superb. Fair play to him.”