Hibernian 1-0 Rangers (1-2)
- Published
Rangers reach play-off final with 2-1 aggregate win
Gers now face Motherwell over two legs
Hibs win second leg with late Jason Cummings goal
Rangers set up a Premiership play-off final against Motherwell next week after losing out to a stoppage-time goal at Easter Road.
Jason Cummings found the top corner with a curling shot after 94 frustrating minutes for Hibernian.
Leading 2-0 from the first leg, the visitors survived a barrage of attacks in the opening 20 minutes.
Thereafter, Rangers were seldom troubled until time added on when Paul Hanlon hit a post and Cummings scored.
The onus was on Hibs to be the assertive, dynamic side and there was a clear indication of the visitors' intent in the way they lined up, with three centre-backs and five strung across midfield.
Rangers, who finished three points behind their opponents in the Championship, certainly started cautiously, but there was also an element of being forced to live on their wits.
Hibs, who dropped out of the top flight via the play-offs last season, were bright, adventurous, and dominated possession during the first quarter.
There were flurries of activity inside and around the visitors' penalty area, with defenders making vital blocks and attackers snatching at chances.
And there were cries for a penalty when Dean Shiels scuffed a clearance against his own hand. That would have been a harsh outcome, but a familiar frustration began to grip the home fans.
For all that Hibs were in control, they could not rely on a clinical edge. When Cammy Bell pushed a Liam Craig shot away, Lee McCulloch was on hand to hack the ball away from Dominique Malonga.
As the intensity of Hibs' play dropped, the visitors became more involved, and Kenny Miller struck their first effort on goal after 24 minutes, but the snapshot was comfortably dealt with by goalkeeper Mark Oxley.
The striker then sent a diving header wide from close range after Richard Foster whipped a cross into the area.
Mostly, though, the Rangers attackers were bystanders. As if driven by that frustration, Haris Vuckic was determined to be resourceful and, using strength and guile, fashioned a chance of his own, rifling in a shot from the corner of the area that Oxley leapt to his left to push wide.
The visitors were relying on self-restraint, and they were even less adventurous after the break.
But Hibs could not take advantage even with all four of their strikers on the pitch, after Farid El Alagui and Franck Dje Djedje joined Malonga and Cummings.
There were moments of opportunity, with Bell having to tip Scott Allan's cross over the bar and Malonga volleying wide from near the penalty spot.
The latter also drew a diving save from the Rangers goalkeeper with a well-struck effort from the edge of the area, while Marius Zaliukas needed a desperate lunge to block Allan's pass, which would have sent Cummings through on goal.
In a torrid passage of stoppage time, Hanlon hit the post with a close-range shot on the turn, then came Cummings' well-placed strike but many home fans had departed by then.
Rangers now have two games left against the club manager Stuart McCall left in November if they are to succeed in their aim to return to the top flight in three seasons.
- Published23 May 2015
- Published23 May 2015
- Published23 May 2015
- Published23 May 2015
- Published23 May 2015