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Hibs leapfrog Rangers into second place

A third win for Hibs over Rangers this season

Goals from Scott Robertson and Lewis Stevenson

Hibernian made it a hat-trick of league wins over Rangers this season to leapfrog the misfiring Ibrox side into second place in the Championship.

Scott Robertson slammed in the opening goal on 19 minutes after Lee Robinson had saved from Jason Cummings.

And Lewis Stevenson finished a late counter-attack with a terrific volley.

It was a third consecutive loss for Rangers, who dominated long periods of the second half but could not find a way past the resolute visitors.

Hibs have lost just one of their last 18 league games, although they remain a long way behind Edinburgh rivals Hearts, who can stretch their lead to 20 points with victory at home to Livingston on Saturday.

Rangers have lost four of the six games overseen by caretaker boss Kenny McDowall but can take heart from a much improved display and the three games they have in hand on Hibs.

The hosts were industrious and purposeful from the off and almost made an early breakthrough when Haris Vuckic's shot was parried to Kenny Miller and the striker's effort was headed off the line by Liam Fontaine.

Despite Rangers' tenacious approach, the visitors maintained their composure in midfield and that shrewdness was soon rewarded.

Scott Allan played in Cummings with a driven pass from the right and Robinson rushed out of his goal to block only for the ball to run for Robertson, who stabbed it into the empty net.

Hibs were often more slick and precise in their passing but the visitors' three-man central defence was hard pressed by the sheer vigour of Rangers, who were snapping and snarling but lacked composure in the final third.

Scott Robertson (right) fired Hibs into a 19th-minute lead at Ibrox

Rangers continued to win the ball high up the park and they delivered several shots on target to keep goalkeeper Mark Oxley busy.

After the interval, the hosts stepped up their determined focus to harry the visitors and spurned several chances, with Hibs forced to sit deeper and deeper.

Kris Boyd, reintroduced to a line-up showing six changes to the side that meekly exited the Scottish Cup at home to Raith Rovers, tended to be the culprit, missing two good opportunities with his head.

With Kyle Hutton commanding in midfield and Andy Murdoch tidy and busy on his first Rangers start, Hibs were camped in their own half, and Oxley had to claw Sebastien Faure's looping header away.

Visiting manager Alan Stubbs made a series of substitutions and those changes eventually proved telling as the hosts tired.

One of the replacements, Fraser Fyvie, was involved in a breakaway on 85 minutes, while some Rangers players complained that Nicky Clark's shot had hit a hand inside the penalty area.

Deadline day signing Fyvie showed great awareness to dink a return pass over the home defenders to Stevenson, whose volley from 15 yards brushed the fingertips of Robinson on its way into the net.

The final whistle sounded soon after, with Hibs celebrating a victory which owed much to defensive resolve, while Rangers were left to rue wastefulness that meant that a spirited display went unrewarded.

Rangers last lost three games in a row in October 2000

Lewis Stevenson knocked in his second goal of the season to seal the victory for Hibs