Hibernian 2 (Killen 2 [7, 80]) Rangers 1 (Sebo 64)
Attendance 16,450
Just to make matters worse for the Light Blue legions,
on-loan full-back Phil Bardsley received a red card
for dissent in the dying seconds that will rule him
out of next week's ‘Old Firm' encounter.
With Scotland Manager and former Ibrox Boss Walter
Smith looking on, Le Guen made three changes from
Molde with Chris Burke, Jeremy Clement and Filip Sebo
replacing Libor Sionko, Brahim Hemdani and Kris Boyd.
Ivan Sproule, the scourge of the Light Blues so often
last season, skinned the left side of the visitors'
defence in four minutes before seeing his effort
blocked by Allan McGregor.
Two minutes later Chris Killen was inches away from
connecting with a flying header from Kevin Thomson's
inswinging free-kick.
The opening goal was merely delayed sixty seconds
however – and yet again the Ibrox defence was found
lamentably wanting when Thomson's free-kick was headed
home by Chris Killen.
It was all Hibs at this stage – another Thomson
free-kick and another free Killen header being clawed
away by McGregor, the rebound falling to Rob Jones
whose shot was deflected to safety by Karl Svensson in
nineteen minutes.
Four minutes later Sproule went past Steven Smith
almost as if he wasn't there – his low cross being
deflected goalwards by Svensson only for McGregor to
prove equal to the task.
Rangers were being run ragged, to the extent that
yellow cards were flourished at Smith for a foul on
Sproule, Barry Ferguson on Thomson and Phil Bardsley
for a late tackle on Abdessalam Benjelloun that would
ultimately prove costly.
It was to be blunt a minor miracle that the visitors
survived to the interval without further loss, and
Sasa Papic was introduced to the fray for the restart,
replacing Smith.
Not only had Rangers failed to muster a shot at goal
during a lamentable opening 45 minutes, they had
scarcely reached the home penalty area. Indeed it was
past the hour before Bardsley threatened Zbigniew
Malkowski's charge when his 25-yard free-kick was
inches wide.
Unbelievably the scores were level in 64 minutes when
Sebo's header from a Burke cross produced the
Slovakian's first goal for the club. It was the winger
whose good work wide on the right had created the
chance, and suddenly Rangers looked capable of turning
the game around.
Kris Boyd and Libor Sionko replaced Lee Martin and
Thomas Buffel as Le Guen scented victory – but in fact
it was yet another abysmal defensive error that won
the game for Hibernian when a Steven Whittaker cross
was completely missed by Svensson, allowing Killen a
free header that he coolly converted in 80 minutes.
Seven minutes later the Hibs' centre blotted his
copybook when, having been yellow-carded for taking
his shirt off in celebration, he lashed out at Julien
Rodriguez in challenging for a high ball – receiving a
second yellow and subsequent red card.
It was ten-a-side in injury time when Bardsley
likewise was ordered off for dissent – unforgivable
indiscipline.
The final whistle signalled a frankly appalling
Rangers' display – and afterwards Le Guen shrugged:
“We were so poor in the first-half. We deserved
nothing. It was a tough game today. We had too many
players too far from their normal level. I'm looking
for improvement, we need a better attitude. I know we
can play better, we have a great task ahead.”
HIBERNIAN Malkowski; Whittaker, Jones, Martis, Murphy;
Sproule (Glass 83), Scott Brown, Stewart (Fletcher
76), Benjelloun (Shiels 61), Thomson; Killen
UNUSED SUBS McNeil, McCluskey, Shields, Konde
RANGERS McGregor; Bardsley, Svensson, Rodriguez, Smith
(Papac 45); Burke, Ferguson, Clement, Martin (Boyd
71); Buffel (Sionko 79), Sebo
UNUSED SUBS Robinson, Hemdani, Novo, Hutton
REFEREE John Underhill