Gerrard criticises too-lenient referee as Hibs hit back at Easter Road
● Rangers boss says whistler too lenient as side drop points ● Ibrox duo refuse full-time handshakes with Hibs defender
Steven Gerrard believes referee Don Robertson should have taken stronger action against Hibs’ defenders for challenges on his players during a dramatic 2-2 draw at Easter Road.
Ryan Porteous was booked for a foul on Alfredo More - los, while Hibs captain Paul Hanlon received a yellow card for an arm in the face of Ianis Hagi.
At the full-time whistle, Porteous remonstrated with both Morelos and Rangers captain James Tavernier when they both refused to shake hands with him.
There was also an exchange of words b et ween Por teous and Gerrard with the Rangers manager appearing to point out the area of the pitch where the Hibs player was sent off last December for a wild challenge on Borna Barisic.
“I think there could have been more action taken,” said Gerrard. “But that’s out of my control. I didn’t see the [Porteous] incident initially. I think Porteous was saying that Tav’s a bad loser which I think is a bit cheap coming from him. He got sent off for a really bad tackle when he was losing 3-0 against us here last season.”
Rangers had further cause to take issue with the match officials who failed to spot Martin Boyle in an offside position in the build-up to Hibs’ second goal scored by Christian Doidge. It earned Jack Ross’ men a point after their first half opener from Drey Wright had been overturned by goals from Morelos and Scott Arfield.
But Gerrard was more concerned by the frailties in his defence who saw their recordbreaking sequence of clean sheets at the start of a league season come to an end.
“Every time you drop points as Rangers manager, it’s frustrating ,” said G err a rd .“We conceded two sloppy goals and we’ll look into that and speak to the individuals involved.
“It’ s very difficult to win football matches if you concede two goals, especially away from home. Hibs are a good side, they are dangerous and carry a threat. Their front two caused us problems at times today. From going a goal down, we did extremely well to get ourselves in front. Our second goal was fantastic, one of the best goals we have scored. From that moment, we need to manage the game better. That’s where the frustration comes in. It’s two points dropped and we go away frustrated.
“They caused us two problems and goals have come from there. We made the team very aware Boy le was a big threat. When you get him in one-on-one situations, you’ve got to take his weak side.
“We didn’t defend those situations well. For the second one, the situation with Tav shouldn’t happen, Borna could have won the head and Connor Goldson could have cleared his lines. As a collective unit, we didn’t defend it well.
“It was offside but over the course of a season, some you get and some you don’t. That one hasn’t gone our way but we have to defend it better. We can’t use the offside as an excuse.”
Arfield was denied a late winner for Rangers by a brilliant double save from Hibs goalkeeper Ofir Marciano, leaving the midfielder to remonstrate with himself. “I need to score there, I can’t get it out of my head,” said Arfield.
“I haven’t seen it back yet. At least the second one has to go in. The first one is a good save but I should finish it. I think he just throws his body at the second one but it shouldn’t come to that. I have got to score it.
“I don’ t think they had a chance after that. On a personal note, it is good to get a goal and get on the scoresheet but these are the chances that you need to take and we need to win these games. I apologise and we move on as quickly as possible. It is a miss, without a doubt.”
R angers moved back to the top of the Scottish Premiership table but it was a day when the Ibrox club would feel they lost ground in the title race nonetheless.
Steven Gerrard’s side appeared to have responded effectively to conceding their first goal of the league campaign, cancelling out Drey Wright’s opener for Hibs with strikes from Alfredo Morelos and Scott Arfield.
But Jack Ross’ men displayed impressive resilience of their own to level again through Christian Doidge and maintain their own progressive start to the season with a point which keeps them in touch with the Old Firm.
Rangers remain unbeaten but that will be of minimal comfort to Gerrard after he saw his previously watertight defence display a vulnerability which cost them two points. They are now a point clear of Celtic but the champions have a game in hand they will be confident they can fully exploit.
For the first time in 652 minutes of league action this season, R angers were reacquainted with the experience of retrieving the ball from their own net.
The lead Wright’ s 22 nd-minute strike gave Hibs hardly reflected the balance of play but it made Rangers pay for their own failure to convert any of the excellent opp or tunities they had created at the other end of the pitch during a dominant opening spell.
Ian is Hagi had aloud and optimistic appeal for a penalty ignored by referee Don Robertson in the fourth minute, the Romanian just too theatrical in the manner he went down under a challenge from Paul Mcginn.
Rangers should have gone in front six minutes later when Mo re los passed up the simplest of chances. James Tavernier’s corner from the right was perfectly weighted and delivered for Morelos as the striker escaped the attention of his marker Alex Gogic on the edge of the six yard box. But he got his connection with the header horribly wrong, sending the ball well wide of Ofir Marciano’s right-hand post.
Rangers were knocking the ball around with pace and precision and a fine move involving Tavernier and Hagi down the right set up their next clear sight of goal for Arfield but the midfielder’s first-time shot was too close to Mcginn who was able to make a crucial block.
Another well delivered corner, this time from Borna Barisic on the left, then picked out Connor Goldson but the big defender was unable to get any significant purchase on his header which was easily held by Marciano.
There was nothing straightforward about the save Jon Mclaughlin had to make in the 18th minute as Hibs finally emerged as an attacking force. Gerrard’s decision to pick Mclaughlin ahead of the fit-again Allan Mcgre - gor may have raised some eyebrows but the former Hearts man justified his manager’s faith as he dived to his right for a brilliant one -handed stop to keep out Kevin Nisbet’s shot after the Hibs striker had done well to turn away from Goldson to create the opening.
But Mclaughlin was beaten four minutes later as that record-breaking run of shut-outs came to an end. Martin Boy le did well to shake himself free of Bar is icon the right to whip over a low cross which found Wright around 12 yards out and his firm low shot went through the legs of Mclaughlin.
Rangers appeared temporarily shaken by the setback and Hibs were relatively comfortable with their lead for a spell. But the visitors gradually got back on to the front foot and Ryan Porteous and Hibs skipper Paul Hanlon both collected bookings for respective fouls on Morelos and Hagi as Rangers increased the tempo.
The tone of both managers’ halftime team talks were altered when Morelos levelled matters for Rangers in stoppage time. It was a well worked goal, R angers showing patience in the build-up before Ryan Kent floated over a cross from the right. The ball seemed to take the slightest of touches off the head of Mcginn before dropping to Morelos who finished with considerable conviction from close range.
The first opportunity of the second half fell to Hibs when Joe Newell’s corner picked out Hanlon but the defender’s header was comfortably held by Mclaughlin.
Rangers soon re-established con-
trol of proceedings, however, and their territo - rial dominance was rewarded when they went in front in the 57th minute. Tavernier, exploiting the freedom he was being given to surge for ward whenever possible, sparked a clever move which saw Ar field exchange passes with Hagi to wrongfoot the Hibs defence before clipping home a shot which beat Marciano via the inside of his right-hand post.
Marciano kept Hibs in contention with a smart save which kept out a shot from Kent after the winger had raced clear through the middle onto Hagi’s pass.
Hibsshouldh ave equalised in the 66th minute when Nisbet was guilt y of a remarkable miss. After Mclaughlin had done well to keep out an effort from Porteous, the ball broke kindly to Nisbet on the edge of the six yard box. With the goal at his mercy, he contrived to make no contact whatsoever and in the scramble which followed, Doidge’s effort was blocked by Steven Davis.
He land er might have done better than head a Kent corner just wide of Marcia no’ s lefthand post and Rangers were punished for their failure to increase their lead when Hibs made it 2-2 in the 71st minute.
Goldson was guilty of giving the ball away cheaply in the build-up, allowing Hibs to engineer a good position for Boyle on the left. His cross was met by the eager Doidge who outmuscled Helander before guiding a good header beyond Mclaughlin.
Gerrard replaced Hagi with Jermain Defoe in a bid to re - energise his attack for the closing stages. But it was Arfield who came closest to grabbing a winner for the visitors, the midfielder denied by a tremendous double save from Marciano with ten minutes remaining.
HIBERNIAN: Marciano, P.mcginn, Porteous, Hanlon; Boyle, Wright (Hallberg), Gogic, Newell, Doig (Stevenson 63); Doidge, Nisbet. Subs not used: Barnes, Gray, Mallan, Gullan, S.mcginn, Mcgregor, Shanley.
RANGERS: Mclaughlin, Tavernier, Goldson, Helander, Barisic; Arfield, Kamara (Itten 85), Davis; Hagi (Defoe 75), Morelos, Kent. Subs not used: Mcgregor, Bassey, Edmundson, Patterson, Jones, Balogun, Barjonas.