Tom Lawrence’s moment of magic gave disjointed Rangers a 1-0 William Hill Premiership win over Hibernian at Ibrox.
The Govan stadium was fully-opened for the first time since the completion of the Copland Stand refurbishment but there was an inertia about the home side until the Gers midfielder broke the deadlock in the 34th minute with a wonderful curling finish.
Light Blues goalkeeper Jack Butland saved a Mykola Kukharevych penalty just before the break but even that failed to fire up Philippe Clement’s team, who looked a shadow of the side who convincingly beat Malmo 2-0 in the Europa League opener on Thursday night.
Nevertheless, despite a lacklustre performance, Rangers made it four wins in a row since the 3-0 defeat by Celtic at Parkhead at the start of the month to move five points behind their Old Firm rivals and Aberdeen at the top of the table.
Unsurprisingly, after their European exertions, Clement rotated his squad.
Left-back Jefte returned from suspension with midfielder Nico Raskin and winger Ross McCausland starting along with striker Hamza Igamane, who missed out on Thursday’s match in Sweden because of passport problems.
David Gray, whose Hibs side were unbeaten in three games, gave winger Junior Hoilett his first start, with Lewis Miller in at full-back and Josh Campbell back in the side.
Hibs had the first real chances, Hoilett clearing the bar with an effort from inside the box before a drive from midfielder Kwon Hyeok-kyu was blocked by Gers defender John Souttar but it was a mostly dull start to proceedings.
However, just after the half-hour mark Lawrence took a McCausland pass and curled the ball high into the net from the edge of the box with perfect execution.
The offside flag went up to deflate the home supporters, only for VAR to eventually confirm that the goal was good.
It was Lawrence’s third goal of the season, matching last season’s tally and it lifted the crowd, if only momentarily.
Igamane flashed a shot over the bar and Kwon came close with a drive from outside the box which was touched behind by Butland.
From the resultant corner there was a VAR check for a Hibs penalty when Souttar handled Kukharevych’s shot.
Referee Nick Walsh checked his pitchside monitor and pointed to the spot, with cheers ringing out when Butland dived to his right to save from the Hibs attacker.
McCausland and Raskin made way for Kieran Dowell and Nedim Bajrami for the start of the second half and then Cyriel Dessers took over from Igamane, who had been quiet but it was the visitors who took a grip of the game.
Clement appeared to react to groans from the Gers fans after Vaclav Cerny passed the ball backwards rather than thrusting towards the Hibs goal and spoke at length with the winger after replacing him with Dujon Sterling moments later.
Dwight Gayle came on to make his debut for the visitors, taking over from Hoilett, with Elie Youan coming on for Kukharevych.
Rangers simply could not into top gear, to the increasing frustration of the home support.
Dessers missed a good chance to double the lead in the 81st minute when he headed a cross from fellow substitute Bajrami straight at keeper Josef Bursik, before Hibs substitute Gayle headed past the post from close range.
Gers defender Robin Propper then headed high over the bar with three minutes remaining, leaving Rangers to nervously defend their slender lead until the final whistle.
Chris Wilder labelled his side’s 2-0 win over Stoke a “proper away performance” as they got back to winning ways.The Blades had seen their automatic promotion hopes ended after losing four of their previous five, including their last three matches away from Bramall Lane.An improved showing saw Sam McCallum, making just his eighth start of the campaign, score late in the first hal...

Goals from Sam McCallum and Andre Brooks ensured Sheffield United returned to winning ways with by beating Stoke 2-0.The Blades had seen their automatic promotion hopes ended after losing four of their previous five, including their last three matches away from Bramall Lane.McCallum had scored just one goal since his summer move from Norwich but popped up at the back post when Rhian Brewster&rsquo...

Partick Thistle stunned title-chasing Falkirk as Terry Ablade secured a dramatic 2-1 William Hill Championship victory in the eighth minute of stoppage time.Thistle were reduced to 10 men after 35 minutes as Stuart Bannigan’s late challenge on Dylan Tait earned the midfielder a second yellow card.The hosts had taken a sixth-minute lead through interim manager Brian Graham’s 19th goal o...

Let's start our Daily Laugh today. Then & Now This Klopp seeing Slot can win the league with 80 points whilst he finished 2nd with 97 No, I won't. Real Madrid released a statement protesting the referee selection for Saturday's Copa del Rey final. Run Forest, run! In comparison Please stay tuned on Daily Laugh. There will be more fun tomorrow!(Credit: Justtoonit, originaltrollfootball, Bleache...

WHAT HAPPENED?The Sun has reported Arsenal are ready to make a significant move to bolster their defence with a bid for the Barcelona defender, who has played a crucial role in the Blaugrana's push to win the treble this season.THE BIGGER PICTUREKounde is under contract until 2027 and has established himself as a key part of the Barcelona defence. He has played 51 times in all competitions this se...

Paris Saint-Germain gave serious thought to signing Christopher Nkunku during the winter transfer window but ultimately chose not to move forward. Although he remained at Chelsea, signs now point to a possible departure this summer.Nkunku joined Chelsea from RB Leipzig in 2023 for £52 million, but injuries and competition have kept him from locking down a regular spot in the starting lineup, ...

Ruben Amorim has said he is convinced that Manchester United can land their summer targets even after a disastrous season which could end in failure to qualify for European competition.United's hopes of reaching the Champions League rest on winning the Europa League. Even if they lift the trophy, Amorim's team remain on course for their lowest Premier League finish.The Portuguese coach is plotting...

Rashford urged to move to Newcastle by WrightIan Wright believes Newcastle United would be an ideal club for Marcus Rashford with his future at Manchester United in doubt.Wright told the Ringer FC podcast of a possible deal for Rashford: "It's the kind of signing Newcastle should be making. That would be amazing. That would be dangerous. Rashford at Newcastle? Yeah. That would be really good. I re...

Birmingham boss Chris Davies says the Blues should be very proud of breaking the 100-point barrier.Alex Cochrane’s winner after 75 minutes was hit from 30 yards and was perfectly-placed to find the corner and hand City a 1-0 win at Stevenage.And it takes them onto 102 points with three games remaining.“I’m very proud,” said the Birmingham boss. “Not many teams will ge...

Alex Cochrane’s superb long-range strike was enough to take League One champions Birmingham over the 100-point mark with a 1-0 win at Stevenage.The game was the perfect example of a clash of styles, Birmingham wanting to play it around, but Stevenage aiming to outwork them.Boro arguably would have been happier with their first-half showing, Jordan Roberts pulling a low shot wide of the targe...



- 1 Cole Palmer’s girlfriend Connie Grace dazzles in low-cut top and mini skirt
- 2 Man Utd & Man City join PSG in race for Akliouche
- 3 Transfer news & rumours LIVE
- 4 Tottenham to compete with Man City for defender
- 5 Ten-man Falkirk beaten by Raith as late goals keep title race alive
- 6 Big Brother legend Chanelle Hayes flaunts weight loss in red bikini
- 7 Transfer news & rumours LIVE
- 8 Daily Laugh - Totttenham 1-2 N Forest
- 9 Liverpool join race to sign attacker Jeremy Monga
- 10 Annan boost survival hope by thrashing champions Arbroath