Rangers stretch lead at the top and benefit from Kris Boyd reprieve

Kris Boyd is all smiles after putting Rangers 2-0 ahead with a penalty kick in yesterday's hard-earned win over Hibs Picture: SNS Group

Boyd took his goals tally for the season to 21 when he converted a penalty kick in the champions' 3-0 defeat of Hibs, a result which fully punished Celtic's loss of two points at Aberdeen a day earlier.

But Boyd's contribution was tinged with controversy with claims from the Hibs camp he should have been sent-off a minute from the end of a goalless first half when he fouled Merouane Zemmama. On the advice of assistant Martin Cryans, who was positioned close to the incident, referee Steve Conroy booked Boyd. Crucially, however, the offence was deemed as obstruction which carries only a two-point penalty under the SFA's disciplinary system. Most other cautions incur three points. It leaves Boyd on 17 points, one short of an automatic one-match suspension.

Had Boyd reached the 18-point threshold yesterday, he would have been banned for Celtic's visit to Ibrox on 28 February.

"We are pleased to have him available for that game, there's no doubt about that," said Rangers manager Walter Smith. "When he was booked, we initially wondered if he would be suspended, but the referee says it was obstruction."

That was a view not shared by Zemmama, however, who insisted Boyd had been guilty of deliberate violent conduct which would have been punished with a red card in other environments.

"Boyd didn't look for the ball, only my face and body," said the Moroccan midfielder. "The supporters thought I was cheating, but he caught me. He hit me with his elbow in my face and I lay down. Boyd was booked but the crowd booed me when I held my face. In Scotland, it is a yellow card, but in other countries it would have been a red. The referee gave it for obstruction, which surprised me. It was a bad challenge. I told Boyd at half-time he should go for the ball and not my face, but he said nothing to me."

Smith, who joked that Boyd could now "save his other points for the Old Firm game", was gratified by a victory over third-placed Hibs which was far more hard-earned than the final scoreline suggested. Steven Whittaker broke the deadlock five minutes into the second-half before Boyd's penalty and Kenny Miller's stoppage-time strike sealed the three points.

"We had to work extremely hard for it," he said. "I felt it was an excellent advert for the Scottish game with some good football played at a good tempo. There wasn't much in it in the first half, although Hibs had the best opportunity of it which we cleared off the line. I knew we would need something a little special if we were going to win the game and it was an excellent first goal from Steven."

Despite Rangers' commanding position in the title race, however, Smith sought to play down the significance of his team's advantage over Celtic. "Everyone always makes assumptions," he said. "Nothing should be taken for granted. People don't give enough credit to the other teams in Scotland. They think it's easy for the Old Firm to win games. It isn't."