Rangers took revenge for their semi-final defeat to Hibs with a 1-0 victory at Easter Road tonight.
Jack Ross made one change to the starting XI that beat St Johnstone with Martin Boyle returning from suspension to replace Jamie Gullan.
Christian Doidge served the second part of a two-match ban which meant that Hibs had the same XI who triumphed 3-1 against Rangers in the semi-final.
Kemar Roofe returned from an ankle injury for Rangers but had to settle for a place on the bench as Giovanni van Bronckhorst brought back Steven Davis for Scott Arfield in midfield.
After an even opening period Paul Hanlon picked up a knee injury and required lengthy treatment and was able to carry on.
In the 13th minute Davis tested Matt Macey with an angled drive which the Hibs keeper tipped past the post then Boyle got on the end of a long pass from Paul McGinn but Alan McGregor easily saved his effort.
Alfredo Morelos barged Ryan Porteous in the back for the second time in the game and after allowing play too continue referee John Beaton decided to warn the Hibs player.
Connor Goldson was booked for a trip on Kevin Nisbet then Jake Doyle-Hayes saw yellow for a foul on Ianis Hagi.
In the 32nd minute Rangers were wrongly awarded a corner and Hagi found the head of Goldson but his header was well saved by Macey.
Hagi then went close with a long-range effort which deflected inches wide.
Just before the break Rangers should have opened the scoring but the unmarked Morelos sent a free-header from Joe Aribo’s cross well wide.
Hibs ended the half with a series of corners but were unable to penetrate the Rangers goal.
After the restart a Ross Campbell cross from the left found Boyle in the box but his shot was blocked. At the other end Ryan Kent fired just over.
Joe Newell then collected a cleverly taken throw and fired the ball across the face of goal but Goldson cleared.
At the other end some superb defending by Porteous denied Kent.
Chris Cadden was next to try his luck with an angled drive as play raged from end to end then Scott Arfield had a powerful strike which Macey parried away.
With seven minutes remaining Kent cut inside and was brought down inside the area by Porteous and Kemar Roofe dispatched the resultant penalty.
In time added on Porteous headed a Newell corner over the bar and the points went to the Ibrox side.
Hibs: Macey, McGinn, Porteous, Hanlon, Cadden, Doyle-Hayes, Campbell, Newell, Doig, Boyle, Nisbet. Substitutes: Dabrowski, Allan, Gogic, Stevenson, Murphy, Scott, Wright.
Rangers: McGregor, Tavernier, Goldson, Bassey, Barisic, Kamara, Davis, Aribo, Hagi, Kent, Morelos. Substitutes: McLaughlin, Patterson, Lundstram, Arfield, Wright, Fashion Sakala, Roofe.
Referee John Beaton
cinch Premiership – Hibernian v Rangers 1/12/2021. Hibernian play host to Rangers in the cinch Premiership at Easter Road Stadium, Edinburgh, Midlothian, UK. Pic shows: An 85th minute penalty by Rangers’ forward, Kemar Roofe, was enough to give the visitors all 3 points in an evenly fought game. Credit: Ian Jacobs 
cinch Premiership – Hibernian v Rangers 1/12/2021. Hibernian play host to Rangers in the cinch Premiership at Easter Road Stadium, Edinburgh, Midlothian, UK. Pic shows: An 85th minute penalty by Rangers’ forward, Kemar Roofe, was enough to give the visitors all 3 points in an evenly fought game. Credit: Ian Jacobs 
cinch Premiership – Hibernian v Rangers 1/12/2021. Hibernian play host to Rangers in the cinch Premiership at Easter Road Stadium, Edinburgh, Midlothian, UK. Pic shows: An 85th minute penalty by Rangers’ forward, Kemar Roofe, was enough to give the visitors all 3 points in an evenly fought game. Credit: Ian Jacobs 
cinch Premiership – Hibernian v Rangers 1/12/2021. Hibernian play host to Rangers in the cinch Premiership at Easter Road Stadium, Edinburgh, Midlothian, UK. Pic shows: An 85th minute penalty by Rangers’ forward, Kemar Roofe, was enough to give the visitors all 3 points in an evenly fought game. Credit: Ian Jacobs 
cinch Premiership – Hibernian v Rangers 1/12/2021. Hibernian play host to Rangers in the cinch Premiership at Easter Road Stadium, Edinburgh, Midlothian, UK. Pic shows: An 85th minute penalty by Rangers’ forward, Kemar Roofe, was enough to give the visitors all 3 points in an evenly fought game. Credit: Ian Jacobs 
cinch Premiership – Hibernian v Rangers 1/12/2021. Hibernian play host to Rangers in the cinch Premiership at Easter Road Stadium, Edinburgh, Midlothian, UK. Pic shows: An 85th minute penalty by Rangers’ forward, Kemar Roofe, was enough to give the visitors all 3 points in an evenly fought game. Credit: Ian Jacobs 
cinch Premiership – Hibernian v Rangers 1/12/2021. Hibernian play host to Rangers in the cinch Premiership at Easter Road Stadium, Edinburgh, Midlothian, UK. Pic shows: An 85th minute penalty by Rangers’ forward, Kemar Roofe, was enough to give the visitors all 3 points in an evenly fought game. Credit: Ian Jacobs 
cinch Premiership – Hibernian v Rangers 1/12/2021. Hibernian play host to Rangers in the cinch Premiership at Easter Road Stadium, Edinburgh, Midlothian, UK. Pic shows: An 85th minute penalty by Rangers’ forward, Kemar Roofe, was enough to give the visitors all 3 points in an evenly fought game. Credit: Ian Jacobs 
cinch Premiership – Hibernian v Rangers 1/12/2021. Hibernian play host to Rangers in the cinch Premiership at Easter Road Stadium, Edinburgh, Midlothian, UK. Pic shows: An 85th minute penalty by Rangers’ forward, Kemar Roofe, was enough to give the visitors all 3 points in an evenly fought game. Credit: Ian Jacobs 
cinch Premiership – Hibernian v Rangers 1/12/2021. Hibernian play host to Rangers in the cinch Premiership at Easter Road Stadium, Edinburgh, Midlothian, UK. Pic shows: An 85th minute penalty by Rangers’ forward, Kemar Roofe, was enough to give the visitors all 3 points in an evenly fought game. Credit: Ian Jacobs 
cinch Premiership – Hibernian v Rangers 1/12/2021. Hibernian play host to Rangers in the cinch Premiership at Easter Road Stadium, Edinburgh, Midlothian, UK. Pic shows: An 85th minute penalty by Rangers’ forward, Kemar Roofe, was enough to give the visitors all 3 points in an evenly fought game. Credit: Ian Jacobs 
cinch Premiership – Hibernian v Rangers 1/12/2021. Hibernian play host to Rangers in the cinch Premiership at Easter Road Stadium, Edinburgh, Midlothian, UK. Pic shows: An 85th minute penalty by Rangers’ forward, Kemar Roofe, was enough to give the visitors all 3 points in an evenly fought game. Credit: Ian Jacobs 
cinch Premiership – Hibernian v Rangers 1/12/2021. Hibernian play host to Rangers in the cinch Premiership at Easter Road Stadium, Edinburgh, Midlothian, UK. Pic shows: An 85th minute penalty by Rangers’ forward, Kemar Roofe, was enough to give the visitors all 3 points in an evenly fought game. Credit: Ian Jacobs 
cinch Premiership – Hibernian v Rangers 1/12/2021. Hibernian play host to Rangers in the cinch Premiership at Easter Road Stadium, Edinburgh, Midlothian, UK. Pic shows: An 85th minute penalty by Rangers’ forward, Kemar Roofe, was enough to give the visitors all 3 points in an evenly fought game. Credit: Ian Jacobs cinch Premiership – Hibernian v Rangers 1/12/2021. Hibernian play host to Rangers in the cinch Premiership at Easter Road Stadium, Edinburgh, Midlothian, UK. Pic shows: An 85th minute penalty by Rangers’ forward, Kemar Roofe, was enough to give the visitors all 3 points in an evenly fought game. Credit: Ian Jacobs 
cinch Premiership – Hibernian v Rangers 1/12/2021. Hibernian play host to Rangers in the cinch Premiership at Easter Road Stadium, Edinburgh, Midlothian, UK. Pic shows: An 85th minute penalty by Rangers’ forward, Kemar Roofe, was enough to give the visitors all 3 points in an evenly fought game. Credit: Ian Jacobs 
cinch Premiership – Hibernian v Rangers 1/12/2021. Hibernian play host to Rangers in the cinch Premiership at Easter Road Stadium, Edinburgh, Midlothian, UK. Pic shows: An 85th minute penalty by Rangers’ forward, Kemar Roofe, was enough to give the visitors all 3 points in an evenly fought game. Credit: Ian Jacobs 
cinch Premiership – Hibernian v Rangers 1/12/2021. Hibernian play host to Rangers in the cinch Premiership at Easter Road Stadium, Edinburgh, Midlothian, UK. Pic shows: An 85th minute penalty by Rangers’ forward, Kemar Roofe, was enough to give the visitors all 3 points in an evenly fought game. Credit: Ian Jacobs 
cinch Premiership – Hibernian v Rangers 1/12/2021. Hibernian play host to Rangers in the cinch Premiership at Easter Road Stadium, Edinburgh, Midlothian, UK. Pic shows: An 85th minute penalty by Rangers’ forward, Kemar Roofe, was enough to give the visitors all 3 points in an evenly fought game. Credit: Ian Jacobs
John graduated from Telford College in 2010 with an HNC in Practical Journalism and since then he worked for the North Edinburgh News, The Southern Reporter, the Irish News Review and The Edinburgh Reporter. In addition he has been published in the Edinburgh Evening News and the Hibernian FC Programme.
