Hibs instant analysis: Two red cards, Boyle injury, no lack of fight

Nick Montgomery's side lost Jordan Obita and Nathan Moriah-Welsh to red cards from referee Steven McLean in a bad tempered second-half, with Fabio Silva adding a late clincher for the visitors after John Lundstram forged a first-half lead in following up James Tavernier's saved penalty.

The first-half was stopped for a lengthy period after Martin Boyle was seriously injured challenging for a ball, and was subsequently stretchered from the pitch after being attended to by paramedics. 

Patrick McPartlin and Liam Bryce were in Leith to provide the instant analysis.

Horror moment for Boyle

It’s always worrying when any player receives treatment on the pitch for a lengthy period of time before being stretchered off and taken to hospital but when the player has suffered two serious injuries previously in their career, the concern is naturally heightened. At the time of writing, the full extent of Martin Boyle’s injury was unknown but the lack of TV replays told its own story.

It would seem safe to assume that, whatever the prognosis, he won’t be playing football again any time soon - a cruel blow for the player, who had seemed to be getting back to his best, and the team, for whom he is such an important player. His standing in the dressing room is well known and there was a muted feel to the nine minutes of injury time added on at the end of the first period. 

It also seemed to set the tone for the rest of the game, which descended into something resembling a battle rather than a sporting encounter. There had been plenty of needle between the two sides, as there often is, but there was more of an atmosphere in the second 45, which came to a head with Jordan Obita’s dismissal for a second caution and Nathan Moriah-Welsh’s straight red card. 

Even after the two sendings-off, Hibs retained some sense of fight about them, when previously they might have struggled to keep going in the face of adversity and although it counted for little in terms of the result, it was another sign of the incremental progress being made under Nick Montgomery. 

Patrick McPartlin

Tie descends into farce

It's hard to overstate just how far out of referee Steven McLean's control this tie spun as the second-half wore on. Even before Obita and Moriah-Welsh were dismissed, the man in the middle was struggling to keep a lid on an increasingly heated affair. Frustration in the stands began to simmer when the incident which ended with Boyle being taken to hospital was followed by a drop-ball given to Rangers. That, and the award of a penalty to Rangers, saw McLean and his assistants roundly booed off at half-time, and things didn't improve from there. Obita was deservedly booked for halting a Rangers counter-attack, but a similar incident minutes later, with Triantis brought down as he raced through middle, brought no such punishment for a Rangers player. The second yellow for Obita was harsh as he attempted to match the run of Rabbi Matondo. Hibs would have done well to try and regain their cool in the immediate aftermath, but Moriah-Welsh was then shown a straight for diving in rashly on Lundstram, and he quickly followed Obita down the tunnel. Montgomery was incensed on the touchline, but his midfielder ought not to have given the referee another decision to make in a match that was already spilling over into farce.

Liam Bryce

Clinical edge still lacking

Until the red cards ended the match as a contest, Hibs gave a much better account of themselves compared to when Rangers cantered to three points here in January. Montgomery's side started well, looking to capitalise on any lingering fatigue from Rangers' Europa League endeavours, but it's been a theme in matches against Glasgow's big two that Hibs have not made their big moments count. The home side got into plenty of promising positions throughout this match, creating overloads in wide areas and a number of one-on-ones in the Rangers box, but taking the next step in these encounters only comes with being clinical when it really matters. Hibs have certainly improved since the turn of the year, but they don't quite have that killer instinct to punish teams in relation to how many decent openings they create throughout these matches. Add that to their armoury and it could taken this team to the next level.

Liam Bryce

Triantis effective in midfield

In a game riddled with incidents and talking points, it would be easy to miss some of the positives from the Hibs performance, strange as that might sound. Centre-back Nectar Triantis hasn’t played a lot of games as a defensive midfielder but was asked once again by Nick Montgomery to step into the role as the Hibs head coach shuffled his personnel to cope with a couple of absentees. The Australian defender had a couple of shifts to forget in the back four at the start of his Easter Road stint, giving away two penalties in successive games, but he showed up well alongside Joe Newell and Nathan Moriah-Welsh in the midfield and even after the game had spiralled into chaos, he was an effective operator, screening the defence, picking up second balls, and seeking to start attacks. 

Even without first-choice right-back Lewis Miller and centre-forward Dylan Vente, Hibs looked solid and it will be a crumb of comfort for Montgomery that he has players in reserve who can step up and play at the same level as his first picks. 

Patrick McPartlin