Rangers 3-1 Hibs: Philippe Clement's side restore Scottish Premiership lead with hard-fought win

Rangers did not score from a penalty and had a goal taken away from them, but managed to secure a thrilling 3-1 victory against Hibs at Ibrox, which propelled them back to first place in the Scottish Premiership.

As Celtic had no match until Sunday, the Ibrox team was aware that a win would put them two points ahead of their rivals. However, it was a difficult task because the opposing team had not lost in their previous six league games.

David Marshall prevented James Tavernier from scoring by saving his fourth penalty this season, as John Souttar was deemed to have been caught by Nectarios Triantis following a review by VAR.

The captain of the Rangers team managed to score the first goal by volleying it in. However, this happened after Scott Wright's goal was cancelled due to encroachment.

In the first half of the game, Myziane Maolida successfully broke through the Rangers defence and scored the equalizing goal just before half-time. However, soon after, Cyriel Dessers was fast to respond and quickly scored a goal to put the Ibrox team back in the lead before the end of the first half.

Rabbi Matondo was substituted onto the field and scored the third goal, helping Philippe Clement's team win and get back on track before the anticipated match against Old Firm in a week's time. Hibs still hold the sixth spot, with a narrow one-point lead over Dundee.

Rangers Regain Lead In Title Race

As each week goes by, the competition for the title becomes more intense. The Rangers were aware of the significance of the situation.

The team from Govan dominated the match right from the start. Wright attempted a shot from the edge of the box but missed by a small margin. He then tried a close-range shot from a cutting pass by Dessers, but Hibs defender Jordan Obita blocked it. Even Marshall, the Hibs goalkeeper, had to parry a long-range shot from Mohamed Diomande.

The Rangers brought back Borna Barisic as the left-back and Todd Cantwell as the midfielder while the Hibs stuck to the same lineup that won their previous game before the international break.

Nonetheless, the referee, David Dickinson, received a request from VAR Andrew Dallas to review his pitchside monitor regarding a potential offense committed by Hibs' Triantis. He had his arm on Gers defender Souttar during a previous corner. After reviewing the footage, Dickinson determined that it was indeed a foul, and a penalty kick was awarded.

Marshall prevented Tavernier from scoring a penalty, just like he did in a previous Scottish Gas Scottish Cup match at Easter Road earlier in the month. However, Wright took advantage of the rebound and scored a goal that was later reviewed by VAR. The technology confirmed that Wright had crossed into forbidden territory and, as a result, the goal was disallowed and a free-kick was awarded to the opposing team.

Tavernier redeemed himself five minutes after his error by striking the ball from 16 yards into the goal with a volley. John Lundstram's cross had been only partially cleared, and Hibs defender Will Fish was unable to prevent the ball from going in.

An extra seven minutes were tacked on to the first half and Hibs were able to even the score. Maolida, a forward, was helped by Elie Youan and placed the ball in the net past Rangers defenders Connor Goldson and Tavernier, with Jack Butland unable to stop it.

The atmosphere at Ibrox quickly became tense, but in the sixth minute of stoppage time, Dessers managed to ease the tension. Despite having his previous effort saved by Marshall, he successfully headed Cantwell's cross into the goal off the bar.

Hibs faced a lot of pressure at the beginning of the second half. Marshall had to make saves from Cantwell and Dessers. However, despite the 2-1 lead, the home fans continued to feel nervous. This nervousness reached its peak when Dessers missed the target from only eight yards, following a cut-back from Tavernier.

For a while, the game became uneventful as both teams decided to make some substitutions from their benches.

During the 77th minute, Tom Lawrence from Gers decided to pass the ball back instead of taking a shot when given the opportunity from a diagonal angle against Marshall. As a result, a wonderful chance to score was missed.

On the other hand, Matondo, one of the substitutes for Rangers, took control on his own by getting hold of the ball 20 yards away from the goal. He then kicked the ball with such force that it went past the goalkeeper, Marshall, who was unable to do anything about it. This goal helped ease any anxious feelings among the team.

"Clement Boosts Players' Confidence"

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After the game, Philippe Clement, the manager of Rangers, had a chat with Sky Sports.

This game provides a great deal of satisfaction.

It's unfortunate when the opposing team scores a goal, especially when it's their only shot on target. Nonetheless, we responded excellently and managed to generate numerous opportunities, finally netting three impressive goals.

We managed to get a fourth point, but it turned out that Scott Wright's feet were too large; had they been one size smaller, he would have scored a goal.

It was an impressive win that clearly displayed the team's drive and passion.

At the beginning of the season, they used to doubt themselves whenever something went against them. However, now they have full self-assurance and trust in one another.

Montgomery: No Entitlement For Us

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The leader of Hibs, Nick Montgomery, stated that the team will work hard to improve their game and aim for success in the future.

Knowing the challenges we would face, we came to this place with a difficult mission at hand. Although we managed to level the score at 1-1, it was disheartening to let in a goal during extra time in the opening period.

We are unable to perform such action, as we need to protect ourselves from an opponent's cross from a wide angle and make it through to the halfway point of the match.

In the second half of the game, we had some good opportunities to score, but we may have been a little nervous against such a skilled team.

The opposing team has skilled players who can cause damage during important moments, therefore, it can be said that we weren't worthy of gaining any points from today's match.

"You don't often get many opportunities to play against teams like Rangers and Celtic, so when you do, it's important to make the most of them and score."

The game will start on Sunday, April 7th at 11:00am sharp. The players will begin playing and competing against each other starting at 12:00pm.

On April 7th, the Rangers will be welcoming their fierce rivals, Celtic, to the Ibrox stadium. The game will be broadcasted live on Sky Sports with the match set to start at 12 pm.

On April 6th, Hibs will be playing against St Johnstone at their home stadium. The game will start at 3 in the afternoon.

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