Hibernian 0 Rangers 3

December 26th 2001
Scottish Premier League
Attendance: 14,021.

Scorers:
Rangers: Moore, Flo, Averladze.

This is a copy of a report of the game as it appeared in the Scotsman on Thursday 27th December 2001

Home comfort for McLeish

SINCE Alex McLeish knows all about winning matches at Easter Road, it must have come as no great surprise to anyone last night that the former Scotland player should celebrate his first visit to the ground as manager of Rangers by hauling all three points back to Glasgow.

What was more unexpected was the acrimonious manner in which an otherwise innocuous occasion ended. Craig Moore’s headed goal in the 15th minute was all that separated the teams on a bitterly cold evening in Leith until substitute Tore Andre Flo put the outcome beyond doubt after 84 minutes. With the contest effectively over, this SPL game threw up a talking point when Ulrik Laursen, who was lying on the ground at the time, pushed himself up as Fernando Ricksen unleashed a shot. The ball struck the Dane’s arm and referee Mike McCurry awarded a penalty. It wasn’t so clear whether Laursen’s arm made deliberate contact with the ball and Hibs were enraged when the defender was ordered off.

The sense of injustice was so great that Tom McManus said something he shouldn’t to the referee and he too was shown a red card. With Francisco Luna and Paul Fenwick already suspended, Hibs will now face a resurgent Hearts side in the Edinburgh derby without four of their most important players. Although Laursen could count himself unfortunate to see red, there’s no doubt that manager Franck Sauzee needs to lay down the law on discipline to his players. Three red cards in three games as manager is not a record the Frenchman will feel proud of.

While Rangers remain a long way short of the team the new man would like them to become, the Ibrox side are clearly in healthier shape than the club McLeish left behind. Rangers were always the sharper, brighter team in this match and would only be fretful the game hung in the balance for so long. The ploy of using three men up front caused Hibs plenty of problems on an evening when the home side were not nearly so positive.

After their feeble performance in front of goal at McDiarmid Park, Hibs brought back Ulises De la Cruz in an attempt to create more space, while Luna returned from suspension up front. Although the faces changed, the 4-5-1 system which failed to produce a goal in Perth was the same. It didn’t work against Rangers either.

McLeish’s return to Easter Road produced the expected cacophony of jeers from the home support, which the former Hibs manager all but defused before the kick-off by applauding the fans when he took his place in the away dug-out. True, there was booing and sporadic chants of "Judas", but as hostile welcomes go, it hardly belonged in the same vintage, say, as Maurice Johnston’s first appearance at Parkhead after signing for Rangers.

A goal which reflected Rangers’ early command of the play was soon forthcoming. Hibs had looked vulnerable at crosses and were fortunate to stay on level terms when Moore got on the end of Lovenkrand’s inswinging corner. Nick Colgan pulled off an instinctive save, pushing the ball onto the bar before a defender headed clear.

Hibs didn’t learn their lesson, and Rangers duly forged ahead after 15 minutes thanks to another back-post header from the unmarked Moore after Fernando Ricksen’s corner, which was struck deep towards the edge of the six-yard box, hung invitingly in the air with Colgan stranded in no-man’s land.

Although hardly a welcome development, the loss of an early goal at least had an energising effect on Hibs, who might have equalised five minutes later when Moore’s back-pass under pressure from Freddy Arpinon presented Luna with the home side’s best opening before the interval. Faced with only Stefan Klos to beat, Luna ran inside and tried to dribble the ball round the Rangers goalkeeper, but succeeded only in walking straight into the German’s arms.

The shrewder option by far would have been to move across the unguarded box. Luna, though, was not at his sharpest in this game. After being shown the red card at Dunfermline, the Spaniard rashly lifted his hands to Caniggia and could count himself fortunate just to be shown a yellow card.

For all that Colgan covered himself in glory by diverting a chipped shot from Peter Lovenkrands with an outstretched hand, there was far less assurance about the Irishman’s work at set-pieces, where he was in two minds about coming off his line.

Indeed, Moore nearly doubled Rangers’ lead in the 36th minute after Ricksen sent over a replica of the cross which produced the opening goal.

Hibs knew they were fortunate not to have lost all interest in the game at this stage. As long as just one goal separated the sides, however, Rangers were vulnerable. It took a fine diving save from Klos to prevent Grant Brebner’s dipping free-kick from restoring parity.

Not that Hibs were rock-like at the back themselves. When Lovenkrands sped clear down the left, Colgan rushed off his line and once more found himself stranded. Claudio Caniggia took longer to deliver a shot than was wise, and while his effort struck a post it was no great surprise when Neil McCann and Tore Andre Flo came on for the closing stages.

Hibs also made a couple of switches with the disappointing De la Cruz departing the scene to make way for McManus and David Zitelli appearing in midfield. The Frenchman’s first contribution was to force a save from Klos. Given how shot-shy this Hibs team have been this season, it was puzzling why he didn’t appear earlier.

Any thoughts Hibs might have nurtured of salvaging a point were dashed six minutes from the end when Ferguson dispossessed Brebner and set up Flo in the box for a crisp finish.

What had been a relatively low-key affair then ended in flames of controversy. Laursen had prevented Ricksen from adding a third by using his hands and was red-carded by the referee, who also awarded a penalty. There was a howl of protest from the Hibs players and McManus let his tongue get the better of him. He too was sent off, for dissent, before Arveladze thumped the spot-kick into the corner of the net.

The Teams:

Hibernian: Colgan; Orman, Smith, Fenwick, Laursen; De La Cruz (McManus, 67), Brenber, Murray (Zitelli, 76), O’Neil, Arpinon (Hurtado, 75); Luna. Subs not used: Caig, Jack

Rangers: Klos; Ross, Amoruso, Moore, Numan; Ricksen, Ferguson, Konterman, Arveladze; Caniggia ( McCann, 58), Lovenkrands (Flo,74). Subs not used: Christiansen, Dodds.

Tale from the Terracing - Fatty's View

What have we got to do in this country to get a referee that is fair and can see past the Old Firm. Mike McCurry had a shocker of a game, culminating in sending of Ulrik Laursen for handball. Uli was getting up of the ground and his full weight was on the arm when the ball struck it - he couldn't have got out of the way if he'd tried.

But, in a game against Rangers, this means double punishment - a penalty and an ordering off - UNBELIEVABLE!

Add to this, Klos and Amoruso taking the ball for a stroll around the penalty box every time they were awarded a free kick, and you can see how much the ref pandered to Rangers.

But what of the Hibs performance? They huffed and puffed and did not deserve to lose by three goals, however, they never really posed a goal threat apart from a good free kick from Grant Brebner and a weak header from Luna.

So with the Hearts game next up, Hibs fans aren't looking forward to this Derby as much as the previous one.

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