MADNESS TO MAINTAIN THEIR TITLE PUSH

up. It’s never usually a silent night when these two meet, with one Hibs fan shaming his club the last time they met by leaving the stand to confront Rangers captain James Tavernier at Easter Road back in March.

That’s not to mention the “exuberance” that prompted a pitch invasion following the 2016 Scottish Cup Final that saw both sets of supporters clash on the Hampden pitch, intensifying this fierce rivalry. To encourage all to be on their best behaviour, the Edinburgh club issued a reminder on supporter conduct earlier in the week, making sure to reference the new state of the art CCTV system that has been installed since the last incident.

But it still didn’t stop this from turning into another shameful night as Borna Barisic had a half bottle of vodka thrown at him after Ryan Porteous copped a red card for a challenge on the Croatian full-back.

It was Rangers hitman Alfredo Morelos who was dismissed at Fir Park last weekend, which raised the question of how Rangers would cope without their star striker due to suspension. No problem as it turned out. Jermain Defoe stepped in and picked up where Morelos left off in terms of goals.

But winning away from home without their main man will be extra pleasing for boss Steven Gerrard. As for Hibs, they completely lost their discipline at 3-0 down.

Porteous saw red for that horror tackle on Barisic, who was lucky to escape without picking up a bad injury.

Hibs assistant John Potter and Gers coach Tom Culshaw then followed the defender up the tunnel as tempers boiled over.