Hibs 0 - 3 Rangers: De Graaf gaffe plays on mind

"I should have scored," sighed the Dutch star as he recalled the one that got away, a gilt-edged chance to open the scoring scorned as the midfielder failed to spot Ibrox defender Madjid Bougherra closing in as he prepared to slot away Danny Galbraith's pass from only six yards out. While Bougherra certainly deserved credit for his last-ditch challenge, De Graaf acknowledged he should never have afforded the Algerian that opportunity. Whether or not it would it have been enough to clinch victory, no-one will ever know, Kenny Miller's stunning hat-trick ensuring what, at the end of the day, was a deserved three points for the SPL champions. But as De Graaf admitted: "If I'd scored it would have been a totally different game. Scoring first gives you a lot of confidence, you believe it's going to be your day.

"Yes, it was a wonderful tackle but I had to score. When you get a chance like that, it has to be a goal. I just didn't see him coming, I thought I was totally free."

The Hibs fans were already on their feet ready to acclaim De Graaf's first SPL goal, but minutes later they were sitting slumped in their seats, recognising an all-too-familiar scenario was unfolding before them as debutant Mark Brown succeeded only in pushing a James Beattie shot aside, giving the Rangers striker time to gather the ball and turn it into the path of Miller, who wasn't going to pass up such an opportunity.

The goal knocked the stuffing out of Hibs somewhat as De Graff conceded, saying: "I thought throughout the first half and for the first 15 minutes of the second we played really well. We didn't create a lot of chances but we were the better team. After the first goal they were better."

Having claimed his first goal Miller didn't hang around, his second coming just six minutes later, again courtesy of a superb pass, this time from substitute Vladimir Weiss, who had carved open the home defence as he played a one-two with Sasa Papac at the edge of Hibs penalty area.

Miller's third, coming three minutes into added-on time, was little more than academic but served to put an unfair gloss on the final scoreline given the efforts of Hughes' players who, until the former Hibs star struck for the first time, had rarely offered Rangers a sight of Brown's goal.

Indeed, it was Allan McGregor at his best which kept the Ibrox side level after just nine minutes, throwing himself across his goal to claw away Michael Hart's powerful header before Anthony Stokes could complete the job at the back post.

McGregor, however, ruined that moment with a pathetic attempt to con referee Iain Brines into sending off Derek Riordan having taken a Paul Hanlon cross off the toes of the Hibs striker, shamefully dropping to the ground holding his head as it he'd been butted.

It was reminiscent of the action of McGregor's team-mate Kyle Lafferty when he collapsed holding his face following a challenge by Aberdeen's Charlie Mulgrew, but it would seem the Rangers goalkeeper will escape the ban imposed on the Northern Ireland striker as both he and Riordan were booked by Brines - although it will be interesting to see if the official deems him guilty of the "simulation" it was or some other offence.

De Graaf admitted he was disappointed by McGregor's attempt to land a fellow professional in trouble, but insisted the matter should be allowed to rest. He said: "Of course ,you have to respect each other and it was not nice for the goalkeeper to do that sort of thing.

"But that happens in football. If you want to win everything is allowed but you don't want to see that. However, the game is over, I hope he isn't suspended and plays next week."

That incident, however, was only the precursor to what was to follow, an explosive incident which saw both Lafferty and Hibs midfielder Kevin McBride sensationally sent off.

"As Brines penalised Lafferty for his challenge on Liam Miller, McBride stepped into blast the ball off his opponent, provoking a furious reaction from the former Burnley hitman, who flew at him with hands raised.

Players from both sides jumped in and when the dust settled Brines produced red first for Lafferty and then, to McBride's amazement, for the Hibs player who appeared to have done nothing wrong in that he could hardly have pulled out of kicking the ball given his foot was already going through it when the whistle sounded.

As it was, Hibs appeared to miss McBride, who was providing the perfect foil in front of Hibs' back four to allow Liam Miller and De Graaf to get forward, than Rangers did Lafferty, as De Graaf admitted. He said: "Kevin was unlucky, he did not hear the whistle as he hit the ball against the other guy.

"Kevin is an important player for us, every attack starts with him and when he is not there it is a problem for us."

Hibs boss Hughes also felt not only McBride but Lafferty had been harshly dealt with. He said: "I felt Kevin was more rag-dolled than being the aggressor. I don't think either was a sending off.

"The referee has a difficult job to do but I think when he looks at McBride's sending off he'll be a bit embarrassed. When I saw Lafferty being sent off, I said to one of my players in the dug-out 'he will even this up'.

"I've just been to a management meeting with referees in which 'melees' were discussed; there must have been ten bodies in there so how can you pick two?"

Injuries to Riordan and Hart didn't help Hibs' cause, Hughes switching his team around to accommodate attack-minded players in Galbraith, Colin Nish and John Rankin but, as the game became stretched it was Rangers, as he admitted, who looked the slicker side, more adept at hitting on the break with Brown forced to fingertip a Maurice Edu header over before Miller completed the third hat-trick of his career.

It was the first goal, though, which was to be the most decisive as both Hughes and Rangers manager Walter Smith admitted, the Hibs boss saying: "If we had scored first we'd have given ourselves a chance but that's the way of football.

"We'll sit back, analyse it and from what I could see we still have a bit of work to do.

"I was a wee bit disappointed, though, in not scoring. I always fancy us for a goal but I don't think 3-0 was a true reflection on the game.

"But when you are making changes you can leave yourself a bit open and exposed. We were, of course, playing the Scottish champions and they punished us."

As for Rangers? It might be worth contemplating that for all the focus on the players who have left Ibrox this summer, eight of the side which played yesterday started at Easter Road back in April when the Glasgow side clinched the title.