Hibernian beat Rangers 2-1 at Ibrox on a night that was meant to belong to James Tavernier, and instead extended the home side's misery to a fourth game in a row.
Tavernier withdrew from the Rangers squad after learning he would not start, then came out before kick-off to receive a presentation from club legend John Greig marking 11 years of service before he leaves this summer. For a few minutes, the focus was on the captain's farewell. Once the game began, it belonged to Hibernian.
Martin Boyle gave the visitors the lead early on when Jordan Obita's cross found him in space, and Boyle slammed a volley under Jack Butland from 10 yards. Rangers answered just before half-time through Thelo Aasgaard, who drove a powerful free-kick into the top corner from the edge of the box to bring the home support briefly to life.
That equaliser did not change the pattern for long. Raphael Sallinger made several saves to keep Rangers out, and Hibernian stayed composed before striking late through Dane Scarlett to settle the contest. The winner capped a result that felt heavier than a routine league defeat because of when it arrived and what had come before it.
Rangers had already lost three post-split matches in a row before this match, and the report says their title challenge was effectively over by the time Hibernian walked into Ibrox. That context made the night less about the points and more about what the club is trying to salvage from the season, with the home crowd left to watch a team that could not turn sentiment or pressure into a response.
The tension came before the first whistle and never really left. Tavernier's expected farewell to the Ibrox faithful turned into an absence from the squad and a presentation in the tunnel area rather than a final appearance on the pitch. Hibernian took the opening, Rangers briefly fought back, and then the visitors finished stronger. It was a clean reminder that the hibs score line was not the only thing that mattered here: the mood around Rangers is now defined as much by what is ending as by what is still to play for.
