FORTUNE FAVOURS THE BRAVE
Lady luck smiles on Ibrox visitors as they valiantly fend off an onslaught from Hibs
IN the cold light of day Rangers will reflect on an old footballing truth. It’s better, sometimes, to be lucky than good.
Hibernian will wake this morning to rather different emotions, asking themselves a stark question. How, precisely, did they contrive to lose this game?
A fourth straight victory for Graeme Murty and Rangers came down, in the end, to a frantic three-minute spell before half-time. A period when the game, dominated for so long by the home side, turned on its head.
For the opening 40 minutes, and most of the second half, the Ibrox side found themselves hemmed in. Whacking and clearing a succession of Hibs’ crosses to safety. Giving thanks for a series of near misses as they survived two Brandon Barker strikes against the post and a stonewall penalty claim against defender David Bates 15 minutes from time. Recovering from Lewis Stevenson’s early goal, the visitors led at half-time thanks to goals from Josh Windass and Alfredo Morelos, aided and abetted by awful goalkeeping from Ofir Marciano. There was an air, in the end, of the smash and grab about this triumph. All of which, from a Rangers perspective, made it all the sweeter.
Laying his cards on the table from the off, Neil Lennon began this game with Anthony Stokes, Simon Murray and young Oli Shaw in attack.
The Hibs manager gained an early reward when a deflected Stevenson strike found its way in after nine minutes. Murray had ghosted in behind the defence and kept possession at the byeline before laying off for Stevenson to smash his shot past Wes Foderingham with the assistance of Bruno Alves’ outstretched foot.
It was a grim start for Rangers and the omens were even grimmer when captain Kenny Miller was stretchered from the pitch early on after pulling a hamstring.
Even now Hibs will wonder how on earth they failed to build on their lead. Buoyed by their improbable weekend comeback against champions Celtic, they should have been out of sight by half-time. It needed strong goalkeeping from Foderingham to prevent the home team doubling their lead more than once.
Paul Hanlon surged forward to play a one-two in 26 minutes, charging in behind the defence to test the Rangers keeper with a thumping shot.
Foderingham came to the rescue again moments later, blocking an effort from the unmarked Martin Boyle with the inside of his legs. The ball bounced fortuitously to safety for the visitors. Yet it seemed inevitable they would concede eventually.
Slack in possession, their passing loose and sloppy, Rangers barely laid a glove on their opponents for 40 minutes.
There was an early sign of the erratic unpredictability of Hibs keeper Marciano when he flapped at a Declan John corner. Morelos only had to hit the target, but cushioned a swooping header wide of the post.
Jamie Barjonas was in from the start for the the ineffectual Carlos Pena and the midfielder managed a few long-range shots.
Yet there was no real hint of what was to come in a startling turnaround to the game before half-time.
Rangers didn’t just score once, they tore Hibs asunder with two goals before the interval. Both came from pretty much nowhere.
The first, in 42 minutes, was an outstanding low strike from Windass. A player who flattered to deceive for so long, the Englishman has improved beyond all recognition since the departure of Pedro Caixinha.
There was still work for him to do when Jason Holt tidied up slack play in midfield, a lovely touch teeing up a low rasping, left-foot daisycutter from Windass beyond Marciano.
If Hibs were in shock then, they were rendered comatose by the last kick of the first half.
Morelos — well and truly over his
ten-match goalless streak — twisted and turned Hanlon a little too easily on the right side of the box to craft a shooting chance. It should have been meat and drink for Marciano, but there’s a reason why the Israeli keeper has drifted in and out of the Hibs team.
The Colombian made to shoot with his right and the Hibs keeper started falling in anticipation of a shot across the face of goal. Instead Morelos thumped it inside the near post. For Hibs, it was an awful goal to lose.
It placed a false sheen on a first half the home team had controlled for 40 minutes. And the second half followed a familiar pattern.
The introduction of Barker for young Shaw breathed new life into Hibernian’s attack.
Even now the winger will wonder how on earth he failed to score after striking both uprights. To say the Rangers goal lived a charmed life in the second half would be quite the understatement.
The Hibs finishing was nothing to write home about either. Murray had a terrific opportunity within three minutes of the restart, failing to make contact with an enticing Boyle cross.
Lennon’s plan was clear. To use his two wingers to get at Rangers on the flanks.
Barker, in particular, caused the Ibrox side no end of problems. He was desperately unfortunate not to level on 59 minutes when he gathered a long cross from the right and ghosted in from the left, curling a right-foot effort onto the face of the post.
Striking one post once can be considered unlucky. Hitting the other with a low 20-yard strike nine minutes later merely solidified the impression this wasn’t Hibs’ night.
The ball ricocheted to safety, Rangers breathing a sigh of relief again.
With 15 minutes to play, the urgency of the home side gave way to desperation.
Bates had only been on the field three minutes as a replacement for Barjonas when he survived loud claims for a handball in the penalty area. It looked a stonewaller, referee Kevin Clancy shaking his head. Wrongly, as it transpired.
Give Rangers this. They showed defensive resilience when they needed it most. At time up, their joy was unconstrained, all the better for the knowledge that their victory was laced with a degree of good fortune.