Hibernian 0 - 3 Rangers: Kenny Miller the real stand-out as hat-trick floors Hibs

Hibernian 0Rangers 3Miller 64, 70, 90Referee: I BrinesAttendance: 17,145

A MAGNIFICENT arena was not granted the spectacle it deserved or the result the denizens of a new East Stand wanted. However, controversy there was aplenty, Rangers emerging victorious in the battle of the ten men and benefiting greatly from the wiles and trickery of on-loan signing Vladimir Weiss.

It was the rather less exotic Kenny Miller who was the match-winner with a hat-trick which takes him to four goals for the season already.

Those admiring the view from the new stand, open for the first time yesterday, had plenty to discuss as referee Iain Brines brandished two red cards prior to the interval, with Kyle Lafferty and Kevin McBride making lone forays to the dressing-rooms just a couple of minutes before being joined by their team-mates. It created yet more space in an already large playing area and Rangers were the ones to take advantage.

James Beattie fastened onto a parry from Mark Brown in the Hibs goals and cut-back for Kenny Miller to fire Rangers into the lead 18 minutes after half-time. The same player then feasted on a brilliant assist from Weiss, whose interchange of passes with Steven Davis saw him earn himself time in the box. His cross was again slammed home by a refulgent Miller.

These goals set Rangers on their way to a fairly unproblematic victory, one sealed by Miller's neat finish in injury time. But it might have been so different. There had been little between the sides, and even the red cards were evenly allotted. Lafferty, who scored the title-winning goal here on his side's last visit, suffered for a sadly predictable rush of blood to the head just two minutes before half-time.

He might have been dismissed for the rash challenge on Liam Miller alone, but a further contretemps with McBride, after the Hibs midfielder had kicked the ball against him, saw Lafferty rubber-stamp his invitation to depart the proceedings. McBride, who had raised his hands, was also asked to vacate the premises by Brines, apparently for aiming the ball at Lafferty as the striker lay on the turf.

Little the referee did was deemed right by either side. He then blew his whistle for half-time rather too promptly, something which ensured another ear-bashing from Brian Rice, the Hibs assistant manager. Brines had appeared to neglect to add time on for the stoppages, which included more than just the Lafferty-provoked rammy. An earlier bust-up between Derek Riordan and Allan McGregor had inflamed the home fans, who until then had been given little to lift themselves from a torpor that is often difficult to shake off on a warm, Sunday lunch-time.

The sense of occasion was either heightened or reduced by the presence of television cameras, depending on your point of view. There were a number of empty pews on show but then without the benefit of television cameras the enormity of McGregor's charade would have gone undetected.

Replays showed that the Rangers keeper had gone down embarrassingly easily after confronting Riordan following an innocuous challenge from the Hibs striker, who was stretching for a cross. "They're the best of friends off the pitch," reported John Hughes later.

It's an eye-opening partnership. Next time they are out together perhaps Riordan can ask his pal why he slumped to the turf in what appeared a pretty underhand effort to get an opponent sent off. They carried on the bickering for some time afterwards, too. But Walter Smith backed his own player. Asked if he had said anything to McGregor afterwards, he said: "Yes, I asked him how his knee was." The Ibrox manager was presumably pointing out that he felt Riordan's original challenge on the goalkeeper had been reckless.

Both McGregor and Riordan were handed yellow cards by Brines, and the incident, while slightly unsavoury, did at least ignite the match. Sol Bamba cleared a Davis header off the line, Rangers' best chance of the half. McGregor had earlier cleared well from Anthony Stokes after Michael Hart's header across goal. This had been Hibs' moment of worth in a half which was always end to end, if lacking incidents in either goalmouth.

Half-time appeared to help clear the heads, and both teams re-engaged with the task of trying to win a match that had been thrown even more wide open due to the reduced number of players on the pitch. Hibs were deprived of another man when Riordan hobbled off after 55 minutes following a clash of knee-caps. But at least they were able to replace him, with the lively-looking Daniel Galbraith sent on.

The substitute had a hand in what was, perhaps, the pivotal moment of the match just a minute before the hour mark. He did well to nick the ball across goal before McGregor was able to clear, leaving Edwin de Graaf with the job of sending the ball into an open goal from a matter of yards. But he was simply not determined enough and the slight hesitation allowed Madjid Bougherra to swing a leg into his path, clearing the ball in the process. It was the very definition of last-ditch defending.

Both managers later agreed that the first goal proved all-important. Had Hibs been able to claim it then the whole complexion of the match would have changed. Instead, De Graaf was left ruing a miss which not only deflated Hibs, but also buoyed their opponents.

Miller then took over, presenting a master-class in finishing. The opening strike in what is only the third hat-trick of his career - and the first by a Rangers player in the league at Easter Road in over 100 years - was driven with a flourish into the top corner. But Beattie also took the plaudits after rounding Brown, and then dragging the ball back into his strike partner's path.

The Hibs goalkeeper, who was making his debut eight months after signing, might have felt he could have done better with the initial parry from Sasa Papac's deflected shot. But he made up for this with some good stops later.

Brown was powerless to prevent Rangers stretching their lead in the 69th minute. Weiss had already come on for Beattie, and had whetted the away fans' appetite with a couple of darting runs. He provided Miller with goal No 2, crossing after neat play with Davis. Miller had more to do when completing his hat-trick, but again the pass which set him up had to be admired. Davis pushed a ball through to him, splitting a depleted Hibs defence. Miller has a reputation for being unselfish but he ignored Steven Naismith's call for the ball and drilled an effort beyond Brown.

By this time, sadly, the East Stand was almost as empty as it was when Hibs last played here, prior to its doors being flung open for the first time yesterday.

Man on the Match

Kenny Miller (Rangers)

It's difficult to see past the man who scored a hat-trick, and Miller deserves the recognition for keeping his head on three occasions, producing the type of nerveless finish he has not always been associated with. He might have had four, but missed with a header. Vladimir Weiss also caught the eye for Rangers with his late cameo while Liam Miller never stopped running for Hibs.

Hibernian: M Brown, M Hart (Rankin 69), C Hogg, P Hanlon (Nish 68), S Bamba, E De Graaf, K McBride, D Wotherspoon,L Miller, D Riordan (D Galbraith 56), A Stokes. Substitutes: G Smith, S Thicot, D Stephens, L Stevenson.

Rangers: McGregor, Whittaker, Weir, Bougherra, Papac, Lafferty, Davis, Edu, Naismith, Miller, Beattie (Weiss 66). Subs: Alexander, Broadfoot, Weiss, McMillan, Little, Wylde, Hutton.