Rangers 4 (Arveladze 10, Prso 14, Boumsong 57, Lovenkrands 83)
Hibernian 1 (Caldwell 34)
Attendance 48,702
Manager Alex McLeish made just one change from the
side that had overwhelmed Livingston one week ago,
with Zurab Khizanishvili replacing Marvin Andrews.
The game kicked off in humid conditions, and it was
Rangers who made a hot start – Shota Arveladze heading
the opening goal in ten minutes from a Dado Prso
cross, the Croatian having been released down the left
by a swiftly, and cleverly, taken free-kick by Gregory
Vignal.
Four minutes later it was 2-0 when a Fernando Ricksen
cross was misjudged by Hibs’ goalkeeper Simon Brown,
Prso ghosting in at the back post to head the ball
into the far corner of the net.
Vignal was impressive motoring down the left, and in
23 minutes he passed up a golden opportunity to open
his Rangers account, firing across the face of goal
from a Stephen Hughes pass.
Untroubled by that miss, two minutes later the French
full-back created another opening with a pinpoint
cross to the head of Prso – Simon Brown at full
stretch turning the centre’s effort wide of the post.
Rangers were well on top, yet somehow allowed the
opposition back into the game – perhaps due to a
combination of complacency, the heat, and thoughts of
the task in hand next Wednesday, Stefan Klos being
called into action on the half-hour when he turned
away Dean Shiels’ effort from a Garry O’Connor pass.
The resultant Stephen Glass corner created havoc in
the home defence as three separate efforts from Gary
Caldwell, O’Connor and Shiels were blocked – the third
and final effort being cleared off the line by Alex
Rae.
The goal was merely delayed however – another corner,
this time from the left and taken by Shiels, was
headed home by the unmarked Caldwell.
The two-goal lead was almost re-established in 36
minutes when Prso seized a slack pass by David Murphy
only to see his shot from the edge of the box cleared
off the line by Caldwell.
Sixty seconds later Arveladze only just missed the
target with a header from a Vignal cross, but the half
ended with Rangers just the one goal ahead in a game
that should already have been wrapped up.
There was a purpose and determination about the home
side following the interval, Novo testing Simon Brown
in 51 minutes with a header from a Ricksen cross.
Four minutes later in a lightning break the Easter
Road side split the Rangers’ defence wide open,
O’Connor releasing Guillaume Beuzelin only for the
Frenchman’s effort to be deflected to safety by the
foot of Klos.
Perhaps awakened by that escape, Rangers restored
their two-goal lead in 57 minutes when Jean-Alain
Boumsong headed home a Vignal corner to notch his
first goal for the club.
There was a warm welcome for Dragan Mladenovic in 62
minutes when he replaced Stephen Hughes.
The visitors refused to concede defeat however – Derek
Riordan’s 25-yard free-kick being touched over by Klos
in 68 minutes, but Ricksen was even more adventurous
eleven minutes later when his thirty-yard piledriver
was beaten out by Simon Brown.
Alex Rae almost secured his first competitive goal in
Light Blue in 82 minutes with a 25-yard drive from a
Mladenovic pass that struck the base of the post, but
the fourth goal was merely delayed sixty seconds –
Peter Lovenkrands driving the ball home from a Novo
pass.
Former Ranger Stephen Dobie saw his 25-yard shot held
by Klos in 85 minutes, but in the closing stages all
eyes were on Mladenovic, skillful and comfortable on
the ball, one dipping cross only just eluding the
inrushing Steven Thompson.
Alex McLeish afterwards reflected:
“A good three points and four goals. We started well,
but lost a bad goal.”
On Mladenovic, he commented:
“He’s short of sharpness and strength. He’ll get that
with more games. He showed some nice touches.”
On rumours of a Newcastle bid for Boumsong, ‘Eck’
insisted:
“He isn’t moving – and anyway Sir Bobby doesn’t
conduct transfer business through the media.”
RANGERS Klos; Ricksen, Boumsong, Khizanishvili, Vignal
(Vanoli 80); Novo, A. Rae, Hughes (Mladenovic 62),
Lovenkrands; Prso (Thompson 71), Arveladze
UNUSED SUBS G. Smith, Hutton, Adam, McCormack
HIBERNIAN Simon Brown; Whittaker, Smith, Caldwell,
Murphy; Scott Brown, Beuzelin, Glass (Shields 74),
Shiels (Morrow 66); O’Connor (Dobbie 74), Riordan
UNUSED SUBS A. Brown, Baillie, McManus, Nicol
REFEREE Kenny Clark