Callum Wright scored a dramatic late winner to give Hibernian a 2-1 victory against Rangers at Ibrox. The result keeps Derek McInnes winless as Rangers manager after three matches in the Ibrox hot seat, leaving the club five points behind early pacesetters Celtic and St Mirren.
Callum Wright’s injury-time strike compounded a difficult afternoon for Rangers at Ibrox, handing Hibernian a 2-1 win. The defeat leaves manager Derek McInnes still searching for his first victory after three matches in the Ibrox hot seat.
Early Setbacks and Hibernian Opening Goal at Ibrox
Nervousness marked the opening stages for the home side. Hibernian seized the early advantage in the 12th minute when Josh Campbell converted a penalty awarded after a VAR review. The referee was instructed to come to the screen to review a grapple between Vanja Dragojevic and Jason Kerr, pointing to the spot where Campbell buried his spot kick to give Hibs a 1-0 lead.
Rangers pushed hard to respond during a first half where they ultimately accumulated 25 shots. Star striker Youssef Chermiti thought he had scored in the 25th minute, but Megwa made a brilliant clearance off the line. Shortly after, Chermiti’s afternoon ended abruptly in the 37th minute when he took a nasty tumble into the advertising boards and suffers a match-ending injury, forcing the Rangers striker to be carried off the pitch on a stretcher. Chermiti had recently been the subject of a failed bid by Galatasaray for a reported club record fee of £22m.
Late Drama and Derek McInnes Reaction After Matches in Charge
Rangers continued to press after the interval, with Raphael Sallinger tipping Lawrence Shankland’s deflected effort onto the crossbar in the 62nd minute. The breakthrough finally arrived in the 83rd minute when Rangers finally make the breakthrough as Djeidi Gassama’s low cross turns the ball into his own net by Hibs’ Miguel Chaiwa.
Just as Rangers pushing for the winner, Hibernian punished them on the counter-attack. A rapid break from a corner allowed Callum Wright to manage to squeeze a shot into the bottom corner during injury time, specifically at 90+3 minutes.
“We were guilty of passing up opportunities in the first half and not playing forward enough.”
“I’ve seen it back, I don’t think it’s a penalty but we have a lot of the game to try and rectify that. I thought it was very soft and surprised the referee is brought over for it.”
“When the ball did go into our strikers we were far more effective and I felt the equaliser was deserved and we wanted to win the game. I can’t fault my players’ effort.”
“There are little things going against us at the minute but we have to stay strong, we’re not as bad as people think.”
“At the minute we are trying to work boys back to the same level of fitness and trying to manage that situation.”Derek McInnes, Rangers manager
Speaking to Premier Sports after the final whistle, Rangers manager Derek McInnes acknowledged the difficulty of his start in charge, having managed three matches in the Ibrox hot seat without a win. I understand the fan frustration, they want and expect to see their team win. I share the frustration,
McInnes said.
Standings and David Gray’s Assessment for Hibernian
With Celtic and St Mirren both on six points from two Premiership games, Rangers are five points behind and already chasing with McInnes looking for his first win. Meanwhile, Hibs head coach David Gray praised his side’s resilience under heavy pressure.
“Rangers put us under severe pressure for the second half, the character was really tested but we made an attacking substitution to try and have that mentality of not just sitting in, even with the Rangers pressure.”
“I’m delighted for the players because we made a lot of changes and the players that came in did really well, it builds that character.”
“The type of game suits Josh Mulligan. To a man I think it would be difficult to single anyone out because they were all so good.”
“I’ve been through adversity at the start. The demands and expectations are always going to be there. The biggest thing is sticking together as a group. Internally we know we’re in a good place, there’s more to come.”David Gray, Hibs head coach
Gray highlighted the depth of his squad following numerous roster changes, emphasizing that internal belief remains strong as the team navigates early-season expectations.
